Forgiveness
by Nefertari17
Summary: Harry isn't an only child after all - and he isn't the key to Voldemort's power either. There is so much more going on that this kid has yet to discover... My first crossover of this type, please be nice.
1. Chapter 1

"You cannot be serious."

"Krysta-,"

"After all this time, you're on his side too?!"

"You must understand-,"

"I understand! I understand perfectly well! I understand more than anyone could ever understand!"

"Krysta, please!"

"No – Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus, I know you're worried about what might happen, but you're living in false truth. You've seen him yourself! Harry is a wreak! And you're all doing this to him by keeping him in the dark!"

A hand landed on Harry's shoulder. With a sharp gasp, he wrenched himself away.

"It's us!" Ron hissed, pulling his friend back before he could crash into the crumbling door and make even more noise.

"Harry, it's the middle of the night," Hermione said, worriedly. "What're you doing?"

Harry shook his head. "I couldn't sleep, then I heard -,"

The sound of a chair being shoved to the floor sounded behind the closed door.

"Professor Dumbledore, I adore you so much, I really do, but I can't do this anymore. It's not fair on Harry. I stayed away from him for sixteen years to protect him, but when I saw him yesterday – I cried." The voice cracked in the most heart-breaking way. "You promised if I stayed away, if I left him in your care, he would be safe a looked after – when I saw him looked like a ghost! No…he looked like a Dementor."

Silence fell.

"Who is that, Harry?" Hermione whispered, her ear pressed to the wood of the door and her brown eyes wide as she stared at him.

Harry just stared back and shook his head. "I…I don't know."

"She sounds so cut up about you." Ron whispered. He shook his head too. "Who is she?"

In the room, there was the sound of rustling, like clothes gathering and pressing against each other…as if hugging.

"Krysta…" Lupin said gently. "We did what we had to do. when Voldemort reappeared and the Ministry started their smear campaign -,"

"You left him alone."

Another silence fell.

"Against all the promises you all made me, you left him alone with those Dursleys. You left him for that other boy to torture, for those blood relatives to turn into a slave, and you left him to deal with the death of that boy that he witnessed so cruelly murdered before his eyes." The girl's voice softened, as if she had taken a step away. "Harry is sixteen years old. He has suffered so much more than any other kid his age has ever done and instead of looking after him, you turned your back on him."

"Krysta, we were trying to protect him." Mr Weasley's voice said desperately. "We were doing what we thought was right."

"What's right?! He looks like death! He's so thin and pale and it's like there's a war going on inside his mind! Mr Weasley, thank you for making him feel so welcome, but you can't seriously think he is okay right now, can you?"

"Well…no…"

"Arthur." Sirius intervened.

"She's right, Sirius. I'm sorry…but I agree. We've dealt with this situation so badly and he is the one that's suffered. She's right – we've done him wrong and he's still suffering because of us."

"We needed to keep him in the dark. It was the only way to keep him away from the smear campaign against him. He's just a boy and he's already suffering, I couldn't let him feel anymore pain."

"This is the wrong thing to do and you know it, Uncle Sirius." The girl's voice stated. "He's a teenager now, not a boy and not a man, he needs to be protected, but coddling him is not the answer and it is not the way to deal with his trauma. I've been watching him for sixteen years and this past year has broken him – how can you all stand there and tell me he's fine? Look at him!"

"We had to do it, Krysta." Lupin said again. "It may not have been the best option, but we couldn't reveal you to him either – how would that make him feel?"

"A lot better!"

"Krysta!"

"I'm sorry, Uncles, but you're wrong about Harry. He is strong and resilient – but he will break if you do this to him anymore. I watched him grow up in that household that hated him, I watched him play Quidditch for the first time at Hogwarts, I sent the car for him when Aragog came for them, I sent the Weasley twins the Marauder's Map so Harry could protect himself and see who was around him – and I saw him break down after Cedric's death the end of the trials."

Silence fell.

"You promised you'd stay away, Krysta." Mr Weasley murmured. "You could have put him in more danger."

"I did stay away. I missed all his happy moments and only came for him when he needed me." The girl's voice answered. "No one ever said I couldn't visit."

"You were watching him all this time?" Sirius said quietly.

"Yes. With you in Azkaban and everyone believing you were the one that betrayed us, I had to bend the promise. Harry was in danger and the rest of you were ignoring him. He was and still is my responsibility."

A struggled quiet fell.

"Dumbledore, say something." Mr Weasley's voice implored.

"Yes, Dumbledore." Sirius and Lupin chorused.

There was another struggled quiet.

Outside the door, Harry struggled to control his breathing. It was ragged and fast, his blue eyes wide and heart racing out of control.

"God…" Ron whispered, mirroring his best friend. "Who is she?"

Hermione pressed a hand to her own pounding heart. "Who is she?"

Desperate to know, Harry pressed his ear to the wood.

"Professor…" The girl said gently. "For sixteen years, I've watched Harry grow up and he doesn't even know I exist. Each time I came for him, I did as you asked of me and it tore my heart out each time- but I still walked away from him. Now, he's in so much pain, I can't let him go again. Not this time. If you won't look after Harry, then I will."

" _Harry_!"

Harry gasped and whirled around. Automatically grasping his friends, the three of them crashed back against the wooden door and looked up at the furious face of Mrs Weasley dressed in her nightgown.

"Mum!" Ron said quickly, automatically holding his hands up in total surrender. "We can explain -,"

"Save it." Mrs Weasley said sharply, her green eyes blazing.

Pulling the teenagers away from the door, she pushed it open a crack. "You've got eavesdroppers here, Albus, so wrap it up already."

Harry surged forward, ignoring the others grasping at his arms and hauling him back. His heart was thudding out of control, his soul on fire and the millions of thoughts rocketing through his head were so loud, he could barely think over the din.

"Wait!" He called desperately. "Who are you?! I have to know!"

The door was pulled open wide, but before Harry could see inside, his face was clasped in strong hands.

"Harry," Sirius said, forcibly holding the teenager's gaze. "I need you to go upstairs. Please don't make this anymore difficult."

Harry stared at his godfather incredulously. "What?! No! That girl – she knows so much about me, who is she? How does she know all this? Let me see her!"

Lupin caught his arms and hauled him back into the corridor as Sirius continued to hold him still, stemming his struggles.

"Harry!"

Harry twisted around in the others' grip and focused on Ron – but those striking green eyes were trained behind him…on the doorway he was so desperate to walk through.

A hand grasped Sirius' shoulder.

"Sirius," Dumbledore's deep voice commanded. "Let the boy go."

Slowly, all hands left Harry.

The teenager stood still, for a moment completely lost as to what to do. all around him, Sirius, Lupin, Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley and his two friends stared at him for a long moment.

Then something changed.

As if seeing him for the first time, Sirius stepped up to Harry and once more cupped his face in his hand.

"God…" he whispered, his hand trembling ever so slightly. "You're so pale, Harry."

"And thin." Lupin murmured.

"And still suffering." Mr Weasley whispered, tears stinging his eyes. He looked up at Dumbledore.

"Yes," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "She does know him so very well."

Harry stared at the venerable old man he had come so far to trust with his life in a second. "Professor, what's going on? Someone, please tell me. I can't live like this anymore." His heart pounding, he glanced past the professor to the room beyond. "Who is that girl who knows so much about me? Please, please tell me."

Dumbledore regarded Harry for a long moment, then finally looked at the other men.

"Let us take a drink in the study, gentlemen." He said deftly. "Please accompany us, Mrs Weasley."

Ron's mother looked at him sharply, her mouth dropping open. "You can't – no! She's too dangerous to be around! That girl is nothing but trouble! You cannot do this, Albus!"

"As I understand it, Mrs Weasley," Dumbledore replied. "She has stayed away foe sixteen years to protect him – yet she is the only one who can see the damage our protection has done to him."

Without another word, the old man walked away down the magically extended corridor. Quietly, almost shamefully, Sirius and Lupin followed, giving Harry an apologetic shoulder squeeze each on the way.

"Harry," Mr Weasley said quietly as he too moved away. "Be gentle with her – she will tell you everything. She has always wanted to tell you everything. It was us that stopped her."

Wordlessly, the teenager nodded and watched as he grasped his wife's arm, ignored her mumbled words and they too walked away.

Left alone, the three teenagers looked at the slightly ajar wooden door.

"Harry," Hermione said softly. "Are you sure about this?"

Harry stepped closer to the door and reached out a hand. "She's known me all my life."

"Apparently." Ron added. He swallowed thickly. "You're definitely sure?"

Somewhere deep in his soul, something eased; it felt right. Harry smiled for the first time what felt like years.

"I'm sure."

He pushed open the door.

The Black house was significantly neglected; despite Mrs Weasley's best efforts to give the place some TLC, the kitchen was still in severe disrepair – and now empty.

"What?" Ron said, startled. "Where'd she go?"

"Did she leave?" Hermione asked, glancing around the vast kitchen. "She was so adamant about meeting you, Harry."

Harry stood still. "She didn't leave."

Beside the open door, Krysta smiled.

Vivid amber eyes gazed at him, cast on the most beautiful face Harry had ever seen. Delicate and young, skin like the finest porcelain china, she denied the world true beauty. Her long dark wavy hair that framed her perfect face, gently rippled in the meagre light around her slender form and spilled over her shoulders. Though petite, she was perfectly sculpted, beautiful, delicate, yet striking even when dressed in bootleg jeans and a white sweater.

Behind Harry, both Ron and Hermione stared in stunned awe at the beautiful young woman.

"Hello, Harry." The girl said holding out a hand. "My name is Krysta."

Without even thinking, Harry reached out a hand to clasp hers – then he was enveloped in her arms.

Harry melted into her embrace. He could feel one of her arms around his body, her palm pressed to his back, holding him flush to her, her other arm was around his neck, her fingers running through his thick dark locks, her warm palm pressed to the back of his head as she held him against her shoulder.

The hug was loving and warm and kind…and so very familiar.

Opposite them, the others watched, awe-struck.

The way the girl held Harry was like someone who loved him; had always loved him and loved seeing him again so very much.

Ron glanced at Hermione – she had tears in her eyes too. Relieved, he smiled. The way harry was hugging the girl back was just as adoring, like he cherished her already. He nodded seeing Hermione's mirrored smile and the two of them unconsciously drew closer.

Harry had no idea how long the embrace had lasted, but it was like his shredded soul was being pulled back together, lovingly drawn back with ribbons so the tattered pieces could begin to heal. The hug was life-giving, renewing his faith and soothing his very essence back into the light.

Krysta felt the teenager pull her tighter, unwilling to let this moment go, but she had to and knew full well, this would not be the last time.

Harry looked at the young woman as she drew back, her delicate hands cupping his face the same way Sirius had done.

He watched, captured, as those incredible eyes seemed to shimmer with an inner light surrounded by millions of dark lashes as she focused on him, the vivid amber flickering as she took in every inch of his ashen face.

"Are you hurt, Harry?" she asked.

Her voice was gentle and sweet, enveloping every word like honey.

"No," Harry whispered, unable to take his eyes away from hers. "I feel so much better."

Krysta smiled. "People so often underestimate how healing a hug can be. You already look better then when you walked in here."

The teenager reached up and grasped her hand still at his cheek. "Who are you, Krysta?"

The girl just smiled and stepped out of his touch. "I think you should all sit down before I can answer that question."

Harry surged towards her. "No, I'm sick of waiting. I need to know, Krysta – who are you?"

"You almost fainted last time I told you, Harry. I really think you should sit down."

Harry stopped dead.

Hermione's jaw dropped open. "Last time?"

"When was the last time you told Harry who you were?" Ron repeated. He glanced at his friend. "Have you met her before and didn't tell us?"

Hermione stepped in before Harry could answer. "When did you tell Harry last time?"

Krysta took a seat at the table. "The last time was five months ago – when Cedric died."

Everything stopped.

Seeing their stunned faces, Krysta gestured to the empty chairs around her. "I promise I will tell you everything, please sit down first. I took a lot of energy getting through the protection spells and charms to get into this house in the first place, so I really need to sit down too."

Slowly, the teenagers followed suit.

"How did we meet five months ago?" Harry asked urgently. He leaned across the table, desperately needing to know. "I don't remember meeting you."

"Looking like that, no one would forget you, miss." Ron said.

Krysta smiled as Hermione elbowed him in the chest. "You won't remember me, Harry, don't rack your brains for me. You won't find me there." She closed her eyes and turned away. "After hearing about what happened with the Goblet of Fire, I couldn't just stand by. I saw your picture in the Prophet after the whole year of smearing your name and I couldn't just let you go – Dumbledore promised you were safe and cared for, but when I saw that picture in the paper…this was not keeping you safe or well at all. I had to come to see you." She opened her eyes. "I broke the spells surrounding you and went against the orders of the Order and I came to see you at the Dursleys."

Harry's eyes widened. "I don't remember that."

The other shook her head. "No, you wouldn't. You were such a mess, you weren't even aware of the days passing. Dumbledore forbade your friends to contact you along with everyone else that cared about you – and left you to deal with witnessing a horrific murder and the return of evil himself alone."

Harry glanced at his friends. Ron and Hermione looked away shamefully, knowing fully well it was all true.

"I froze the Dursleys when I came to see you, Harry." Krysta went on. "I had watched them for a week from afar, debating whether I could go against Dumbledore again – he always gets so mad when I do, the tellings off are reaching the hundreds now- but I needed to see if you were okay. You weren't."

An icy silence fell.

Harry closed his eyes remembering those first few weeks back at Privet Drive. It felt like such a haze. His aunt and uncle screaming at him constantly, Dudley's attacks, aching and hurting everywhere, but none more than in his heart.

"I watched the house for a week and you didn't leave your room much for the first few days, then Uncle Vernon locked you in when Dudley beat you up and he blamed you for it. They even forgot to feed you and you didn't make a sound about it. I had to see you." Krysta couldn't stop the tears slipping silently down her cheeks as she looked at the ashen boy she loved so much beside her. "I froze the family and came inside. I unlocked your door and you were on your bed. You were half-starved, Harry, thin and lifeless, fading away under the crushing burden of the trauma you'd suffered. You were awake, but not there."

A ghost of a memory asserted itself in Harry's mind, but it was nothing but mist he couldn't hold onto. "I don't remember."

"No, you were far gone. You wouldn't remember." Krysta smiled gently and wiped her eyes. "You didn't say anything and neither did I. I lay down on your bed with you and held you, the same way I did just now. Then you fell asleep and didn't dream. You just slept."

Hermione stared at the older girl as Harry slowly took this all in. "You just cuddled him and he fell asleep?"

Krysta nodded. "Harry was having terrible nightmares, he couldn't rest. His mind was so messed up with lack of sleep, he couldn't function anymore. Harry slept for almost a whole day. I kept the family frozen so he wasn't disturbed."

"I remember." Harry said softly. "I remember feeling better and waking up without nightmares, but…" he shook his head. "I don't remember you, Krysta."

Krysta sighed deeply. "I wish you could, Harry. We had such a nice time when you woke up, it was like we were a family again."

Gasps circled the table, but she didn't notice.

"When you woke up, I knew you'd be starving, so I cooked for you and baked some snacks to keep in your room in case Uncle Vernon felt like locking you in again. I had Hedwig hide them somewhere and bring them to you when you were hungry."

Harry gasped again. "God – is that why she kept bringing me snacks?!"

Krysta smiled and nodded. "Yes, you have a very smart bird there. She even kept the cookies I made for you fresh for when you needed them."

The teenager sat back in his chair, his eyes wide. "You cooked all that for me?"

"Yes. We had quite a few meals together – even I was surprised nobody noticed the Dursleys were missing for almost a week."

"You were with me for a week?!"

Krysta chuckled. "Yes, it was wonderful – well, except for when you pretty much collapsed when you found me cooking in your kitchen beside a frozen bunch of people."

"Why did I do that?"

"You do it every time I tell you who I am."

"Why?"

"It's a bit of a shock."

"Then who are you?"

Krysta regarded the teenager for a long moment, unable to keep the blissful smile from her lips as she saw those same vivid blue eyes she knew so well cast on a face she knew so well too.

Reaching across the table, she grasped Harry's hands in her own.

"My name is Krysta, Harry." She looked deep into those eyes she loved, letting the teenager see into her soul too. "Krysta Potter."

There were gasps beside Harry, but he didn't notice. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't speak. His heart had been beating out of control, but now was suddenly still alongside his lungs.

Opposite him, Krysta squeezed his hands. "I'm your big sister, Harry."

There were voices, but Harry couldn't make them out. The tide of emotions, thoughts, wonderings, memories, everything erupted all at once. It was like the unserved had exploded in his mind, throwing everything at him all at once, but had only given him one mitt to catch it all.

Then he felt himself being moved, but he couldn't quite comprehend it.

It was several moments later when the world came back into focus – and he found himself wrapped up in Krysta's arms again.

"Harry?" Krysta whispered, gently stroking his hair as she held him tightly. "Breathe, Harry."

The teenager forced his lungs to work, automatically kick-starting his heart too.

After a moment, Harry found his voice again. "Are you really my sister?"

"Yes, Harry. I'm twenty-five. I'm nine years older than you."

She pulled back and smiled seeing tears slipping down the boy's face too. She carefully wiped them away from his pale skins. "I remember when you were born, Harry. Dad didn't have a clue what to do at the hospital so kept getting worked up about nothing and just annoying Mum with a million questions, Mum was screaming and laughing in labour and I was holding her hand through it all – then there was you."

Harry's breathing stunted, his eyes wide and gazing at her in absolute awe.

Krysta chuckled softly. "I never get tired of that look, you know. So many times I've revealed myself to you and that look still makes my heart swell."

"So many times?"

The elder girl sat back in her chair. "We've had this conversation several dozen times, Harry. Each time it happens the same way – you zone out and almost collapse, then you ask me again if it's true, then you wonder if you're dreaming."

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione who were still frozen in shock beside him. "Am I dreaming? Is this really happening?"

The others glanced at each other, then at Krysta.

Hermione leaned forward suspiciously. "In the chamber of secrets, what did Lockhart confess to Harry and Ron? In Harry's first Quidditch match, how did he catch the Snitch? When we saved Sirius from the tower before the Dementors could administer the Kiss, how did we get up there?"

Ron stared at her, stunned. "Hermione?"

"Answer the questions." Hermione said, ignoring him. "If you are Harry's sister and you came to see him five months ago and spent a week with him, he would have shared these secrets with you because we can't tell anyone else."

Krysta nodded. "I understand." She thought for a moment. "Lockhart confessed he actually didn't know anything about Defence against the Dark Arts and had stolen most of his research, Harry almost swallowed the first snitch he caught – Harry didn't tell me that one, I saw him do it and almost died laughing – and you used Buckbeak to rescue Sirius – he's fine, by the way. Uncle Sirius lets me borrow him when I have to disappear. Hagrid is right; he is very sweet really."

The teenagers stared at her stunned.

"God, it's true." Hermione whispered.

Ron turned to his best friend. "You have a big sister, Harry. A super hot sister too."

That earned him another elbow in the chest.

Ridiculously exhilarated, Harry gazed over his sister. "I really have a sister?! Why didn't anyone ever tell me?"

"It's…complicated." Krysta said carefully. "But I've always been here for you Harry. I promised I would stay away after what happened to Mum and Dad, but I couldn't leave you with nothing. I wasn't very good at keeping this promise – I've been watching you all your life. I've seen you do so many incredible things, I swear, but you won't remember. You've also told me the stories over and over again, dozens of times, just like five months ago."

She reached forward and grasped Harry's hand again. "After what happened, I couldn't just let you deal on your own. When you woke up, we had the exact same conversation we had just now and dozens of times before. You rested and recuperated and healed from those scars. We told each other about our lives, we got to know each other again just like each time before and you were getting over the trauma you'd been left with. You were doing so well, you went back to that strong kid I've watched grown up over that week, then…" she looked away.

"Then what?" Ron asked before Harry could.

"Then Dumbledore realised I have broken my promise again and he was angry." Krysta covered her eyes, stopping the tears before they came. "The Order showed up at the door, Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus were so mad – and I was ordered to obliviate your memory again." She drew back her long hair from her shoulder and sighed sadly as she cast vivid amber eyes onto her little brother. "It's why you don't remember me, Harry. I had to wipe your memory every time I came to see you; I had promised and this was my punishment for breaking it."

"I've been watching him for sixteen years and this past year has broken him – how can you all stand there and tell me he's fine? Look at him!"

 _All this time, I thought I was alone…_

Harry pressed a hand to his heart. It was still beating so hard, but it wasn't erratic anymore. It felt like the pulses were trying to get his attention; grabbing at his ribcage and rattling at his bones, trying to tell him that his heart remembered, even if his mind didn't.

"All my life, you were there." Harry said softly. "You said we've had this conversation dozens of times."

Krysta nodded. "Several more than that, really. But I could never outwit Dumbledore – he made me swear and even when I could evade him, it was only a matter of days for him to realise I'd broken the charms so I could see you or just be near you. It was so hard to stay away from you after Mum and Dad, so I kept breaking my promise – the first time I did it, I was eleven and just about to start Hogwarts."

"You went to Hogwarts too?!" Ron pretty much shouted.

Krysta nodded. "I finished my whole education before Harry even started, but when I realised I was going away to school, I also realised I wouldn't be able to see Harry whenever I wanted, so I had to speak to him." She ran a hand through her hair and leaned forward on the desk tiredly. "I wasn't far from you when Hagrid took you to the Dursleys'. I used to take the bus for forty miles so I could watch you through the window – Professor McGonagall was the first to clock onto what I was doing but she always let me stay for a few minutes to see you before zapping me back to Uncle Remus to tell me off ." She smiled. "McGonagall never really told me off, she was always pretty cool like that; even when I snuck off from Hogwarts. She knew I just wanted to see my baby brother."

Harry smiled seeing the shimmering light in her eyes. "You kept doing that to see me?"

"Of course. Mum had told me you were going to be born ages before she told Dad – she was sure Dad would pretty much collapse – and he did – you get that from him too, by the way."

Ron and Hermione stifled a giggle.

Krysta smiled as Harry blushed. "I was there for Mum during the pregnancy. She would grab my hand every now and them to feel you kicking her in her belly too – I knew you'd be a fighter." The other's blush deepened. "I had so many plans for us. We were gonna terrorise Mum and Dad, and play tricks on Uncle Sirius and steal Uncle Remus's chocolate – he always has the best chocolate. It was going to be great."

"It sounds so brilliant." Harry said in awe. He shook his head. "What happened to all the plans?"

The teenagers watched as he young woman looked away and stared hard at the now closed kitchen door.

"Everything changed the week after you were born, Harry. The prophecy was told and all the plans I'd made went up in smoke…so did our family. We were being hunted and we had to run."

Tears slipped down Krysta's cheeks again, but it was different this time. Harry could see the light in her eyes had vanished without a trace, the beautiful amber dulling and the tears seemed to be endless this time.

Suddenly worried, Harry grasped her arm. "Krysta? What is it?"

Krysta clasped his hand over her arm and cast distraught eyes onto his. "I want to you know that I love you, Harry." She told him, her voice cracking so painfully, they all felt it like a dagger to the soul. "I love you so much. Even if we are not blood-related, your Mum and Dad were mine too. Please don't hate me for leaving you alone for sixteen years. I love you so much, I kept defying Dumbledore and my godfathers for you."

"Krysta -," Harry said, scared now.

"It's okay." Krysta said softly. "It's just another trait the three of you inherited from your parents."

Hermione frowned. "What trait?"

The young woman looked at the closed door again. "Eavesdropping."

On cue, the door opened.

It took Harry a moment to realise what had happened. Suddenly his friends were standing behind him and his sister was standing before him – with a wand pressed to her throat.

"I'm not having it." Mrs Weasley said, pushing the tip of her wand into the girl's neck. "She can't stay here. It's too dangerous; especially with all the kids here under one roof."

"Mum! What're you doing?!" Ron cried, grabbing her arm.

"Get out of the way, Ron!"

"Ron's right, Molly!" Mr Weasley said desperately. "She had every right to see Harry! We can't keep them apart – there's no point anymore! Voldemort knows about her already!"

"He wouldn't know if she kept her promise and stayed away!" Mrs Weasley cried. "Now the children are all in danger because of her!"

"ENOUGH!"

Silence fell.

Harry blinked and found himself standing beside his sister, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, scared to death to let her go.

In the middle of the kitchen, Dumbledore lowered his hands and glared Mrs Weasley away from the young woman and into her husband's arms. On either side of him, Sirius and Lupin gazed in wonder at the siblings side by side.

"Krysta, you've broken you promise again." Dumbledore stated.

"That's not exactly news, professor." The young woman answered.

Either side of the venerable old wizard, Sirius and Lupin couldn't help but smile.

Dumbledore sighed deeply. "So…what are we going to do about this?" he glanced past the young woman to the teenager holding onto her for dear life. "Are you sure about your grip there, Harry?"

Harry looked back levelly. "Very sure, professor. She's my sister. And with all due respect, back off."

Again, Sirius and Lupin couldn't hold back their smiles.

Neither could Dumbledore. His watery blue eyes glistened for a moment as he looked over the siblings. "I see you have both made your choices." He focused on the young woman. "You do understand what this means, Krysta."

"I do." Krysta replied. "And Harry will understand too when I explain. I can't leave him again. too many times you elders have forgotten he has a heart and soul that needs to be cared for as well. Mum and Dad asked me to look after him if anything happened to them – I promised them first and I broke that pact when I agreed to stay away." She looked around at each of the adults in the room. "Look at Harry now compared to ten minutes ago – what do you see?"

Everything stopped. Just like the moment in the hallway, every gaze turned to Harry, and turned stunned.

The teenager was still pale and thin, tired and worn out beyond belief, but now his blue eyes were shining the way his mother's did, his cheeks were flushed with passion and life, and his protective streak inherited from his father was kicking in for all to see – trying so hard to protect and keep his long lost sister.

Opposite them, Sirius and Lupin exchanged smiles, then stepped forward –

\- and cuddled their goddaughter close.

"I've missed you, sweetheart." Lupin said, kissing her on top of her head. "It's been far too long."

Sirius laughed as he cupped her face in his hands. "You still have all that fire, don't you Krysta? You definitely learned that from Lily."

Incredibly relieved. Krysta hugged her uncles back tightly, so very happy to see them both again despite the heated exchange of before.

"I've missed you too." she sighed, relishing their embrace. "It's been years."

Harry's heart leapt at the scene, but he couldn't help but wonder. "Years?"

Finally, Sirius and Lupin pulled back and glanced at Harry.

"Yes, Harry." Sirius told him. "Krysta has been nomadic for your whole life, she can't stay anywhere too long. With everything going on, we haven't seen her for, what? Two years?"

"Two years." Lupin said shaking his head. "Have you heard of an owl, my girl?"

Krysta smiled. "Have you heard of owl tracking, uncle?"

Harry laughed as both men blissfully cuddled her again. "You all know each other."

"Yes," Sirius said gasping the teenagers hand and drawing him into the little circle. "After what happened with James and Lily, you were sent to the Dursleys and Krysta was sent all over the country to be hidden from the Dark Lord. Unlike you, she doesn't have any blood relatives so there was no one who could form a protection seal with like the Dursleys could with you. That's why nothing ever happens to you when you're with them. They may be the most horrid people, but they were the strongest protection charm we could find."

Harry looked up at Krysta sharply – her words and his godfather's replaying through his mind again.

"Wait a minute – no blood relatives?"

"Do the maths, Harry." Hermione said, appearing beside him. "Krysta was nine when your parents were killed. They were only twenty-one. That would mean they were twelve when they had her." She looked up at the elder girl curiously. "Your sister's adopted."

Krysta grasped Harry's hands again. "Mum and Dad adopted me when I was seven and said I could call them Mum and Dad if I wanted and they gave me their name in return. My name was Krysta Rivera, then it became Krysta Potter."

"Let go of me, Arthur!"

The joy of the reunion abruptly broke.

Mrs Weasley glared at Krysta, then at Dumbledore. "Are you just going to allow this, Albus? She can't be here!"

Ron stared at her, shocked. "Mum! What is your problem?!"

"My problem, Ronald, is that girl is the reason for all the muggle reports of magic in their world. They want her so badly because of what she is, she attracts them like bees to honey! The whole idea of the Order was to keep Harry safe and not attract attention! She can't stay here!"

"I know that Mrs Weasley." Krysta said. "I don't intend to stay here and live – I just don't want to be a stranger to my little brother any more. Do you have any idea what it's like to have someone you love so much have no idea who you are? I was there the day Harry was born, I held him in my arms when he cried, I caught him when he fell trying to walk for the first time – Mum and Dad asked me to take care of him. I swore on their graves that I would and I have. I don't want to be nothing to him anymore!"

Mrs Weasley stepped backwards into her husband's arms, startled.

"I have always put his safety first. I couldn't do that for myself as a child, but I can for him. Each and every time I have come to see him nothing had followed me because I put every precaution into place. I may break my promise a hell of a lot, but I have always done it when it was necessary and certain no danger would follow me. Now, I've had enough. I want to protect my little brother. Even if I have to do it from the other side of the world, I want him to know who I am and I love him enough to break through the spells around this safe house to pull him away from the depression he's spiralling into that you've all been ignoring. He watched someone murdered in cold blood and he couldn't deal – he's just a kid! You can't let that fester or it eats you away inside! He's a shell of what he used to be thanks to all of you! Dad would go spare if he knew what you lot have done!"

Stunned silence descended.

Opposite the fired-up girl, Mrs Weasley lowered her wand and almost shamefully pushed it back into her pocket. All around them, the rest of the adults looked away too, suddenly filled with the same sense of shame and finding the floor extremely interesting.

Finally, Mr Weasley broke the quiet. "She's right. James would go spare if he knew how much we neglected Harry this year."

"Yes." Sirius agreed, nodding. "James would've gone spare."

"God." Lupin murmured. "James would be so mad."

Quiet fell again.

"Not as mad as Lily."

Everyone looked at Mrs Weasley. Ron's mother shook her head and turned away to the door. "Lily would be so disappointed in us too. I'm…I'm sorry."

Mr Weasley followed his wife out of the room.

"I believe the young lady's mind is made up this time." Dumbledore said gently. He opened his arms in a peace offering and as a stand down to the others. "Perhaps it is time to rethink these arrangements."

The tension broke.

And Krysta made a decision. She turned around to her brother, carefully taking his arms from her waist and squeezing his hands reassuringly. Reaching up, she swept his dark locks away from his eyes and understood the fatigue she saw there all too well.

"I think you should go back to bed, Harry." She said gently. "You really need to rest."

Harry shook his head vehemently, a horrible spark of fear staining his lovely blue eyes. "No, Krysta -,"

The other held her fingers to his lips. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere and no one is going to obliviate you either." She glanced at Ron and Hermione. "I think we've kept you kids up late enough tonight. Go to bed. I'll be here when you wake." She smiled warmly at her little brother. "I swear to you in the only fashion I don't break – cross my heart."

Harry smiled – and couldn't help himself.

Krysta cuddled her little brother close, holding him flush to her body the way she had done before, the other hand laid lovingly on the back of his head as she pulled him close.

"Rest, Harry," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek as she pulled back. "I'll see you in the morning."

Reluctantly, Harry backed away from her and felt Ron and Hermione grasping his arms in solidarity as they looked back at Krysta and the four men.

"Professor -," Hermione started.

Dumbledore held up a hand. "The young lady had given an unbreakable oath across her heart. I would not dare go against it, nor will anyone else. Now go to bed."

Harry look one last look at the occupants. His big sister, his godfather and his friend and mentor – and he knew he could trust them right now.

"Good night." He whispered.

Then they were back upstairs.

" _Harry_!"

Harry blinked and found Hermione shaking him roughly. "Hermione, this is the boys' bedroom."

The girl sighed. "I know that! I was talking to you and you were totally spacing out."

"Oh, sorry."

Lying on one of the beds, Ron looked up at Harry. "So…you okay?"

Harry looked from one friend to the other. "Am I dreaming?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, Harry."

The biggest smile he had ever had took over Harry's face. And Hermione couldn't help but cuddle him and fully join in the ecstatic jumping up and down.

"Now," Hermione said, calming herself down and manhandling Harry into his bed. "Go to bed, your sister was right, you look like death. Go to sleep."

"Charming." Ron said, still laughing at the ridiculous dancing from before.

Harry lay down, then sat up again. his heart and lungs felt out of control again, like they were on fire.

"How can I sleep when I have a sister?" Harry said breathlessly excited. "I have a sister downstairs."

"I know," Hermione said, perching on the edge of Ron's bed. "This all seems so unreal, so mad, so -,"

"Brilliant." Ron finished.

"Yes," Hermione said, grinning. "Exactly." She looked at Harry again. "God, Harry – you have a beautiful big sister!"

The three of them burst out laughing. For almost two minutes, they couldn't stop.

"Okay," Hermione said, dragging herself to her feet and drawing in a deep breath. "Seriously, go to sleep. We all need it. Sleep. Both of you."

Ron and Harry collapsed onto their beds as the girl flicked the lights off on her way out and closed the door.

"Harry?" Ron said through the darkness.

"Yeah."

"You've got a sister."

"Yeah."

Harry signed deeply, unable to wipe the gigantic smile from his lips. He hadn't felt this happy in years, maybe in forever. The warmth of it flooded over his chest like water, inundating his damaged soul with what felt like the elixir of life itself.

 _Family…I have family…and she's been watching me, caring about me all my life…_

"Ron?"

"Hmmm?"

"What's it like having a sister?"

"Same as a brother, I suppose."

"What's that like?"

"…"

"Ron?"

"…"

Harry smiled hearing the familiar snore resonate around the room and pulled his glasses off.

"Goodnight, Ron." He whispered and closed his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

It was bright and sunny when Harry woke up. Golden sunlight streamed joyously into the vast bedroom, gracing his skin like warm honey.

With a deep sigh, the teenager turned onto his side and sank back into his pillow. He was holed up in a safe house so there was no school to go to, he may as well stay in bed.

He vaguely wondered if he could go back to the wonderful dream he had had and enjoy it a little longer.

"Ron?" He murmured, eyes still closed. "Ron, you awake?"

Forcing himself to wake up a bit more, Harry opened an eye and vaguely reached out a hand to the other bed.

"Ron," he said turning onto his back. "I had the most amazing dream -,"

The other bed was empty.

Surprised, Harry sat up and picked up his glasses to see the clock face on the wall. It read half past two. Suddenly wide awake, he glanced at the windows. The golden sunlight streaming through was afternoon sunlight.

"God, how long was I asleep?"

"Twelve and a half hours, foolish boy."

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin, then sighed seeing Kreacher glaring at him as he came in to make the beds.

The house elf shook his head and continued to grumble. "Daft child, doesn't know maths…"

Harry swept the sheets off of him and stretched. He felt great. He hadn't felt great in ages. He had slept for most of the day, but it was like he really needed it. coupled with his wonderful dream, he actually felt normal for the first time in…forever.

Grabbing his stuff, he headed to the bathroom and emerged twenty minutes later feeling even more refreshed from the heated shower.

On the verge of humming happily, Harry vaulted down the stairs, still doing his zipper up on his jeans and walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning Mrs Weasley." He said with a smile and reached up to the cupboards to grab the cereal.

"I think you mean good afternoon, Harry." Mrs Weasley said with a smile.

"Oh right, yeah."

The older woman glanced over him in surprise. "You look so much better. Did you sleep well lst night?"

"So well, I feel great." Harry glanced at her as he got the milk from the fridge. "Where's Ron and Hermione?"

He didn't see Mrs Weasley's stunned look.

"Molly," Lupin said walking into the kitchen with an open book. "Have you seen that tome Arthur was lugging -,"

He stopped short seeing Harry. The teenager grinned and gave him a little wave as he sat down with his cereal. "Morning Remus – oh, er, I mean afternoon."

Lupin stared at Harry in awe. "God, you look great today Harry."

"Thanks." The teenager hungrily dug into his food. "God, it feel like I slept for a month."

Confused now, Lupin glanced at Mrs Weasley who shrugged, just as baffled as he was.

"Er, Harry – is everything okay?" Lupin asked, sideling closer.

"Yeah, great." Harry looked up at the other excitedly. "Is Sirius around? I had the most amazing dream, I have to tell him about it since Ron and Hermione aren't here."

Lupin's jaw dropped open. Before Harry could question him, the backdoor opened wide, letting in the crisp winter air contrasting with the golden sunlight.

"Harry, you're awake." Hermione said with a grin. "Ron said you were sleeping like the dead, he couldn't wake you."

"Yeah, dead to the world you were." Ron added pulling off his parka and chucking it onto on Hermione's before quickly looking away from his mother's glare. "You look better though."

"Hmm," Hermione agreed. "Seems like you needed it."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, I feel great today."

"She was right then," Sirius said pulling off his scarf. "Seems like that girl really does know you more than us."

It was like a lightning bolt shot straight through the teenager. He saw Lupin grasp Sirius's arm and offer a telling look. He saw Mrs Weasley bite her lower lip as she glanced at Ron…and he saw Ron and Hermione staring at him in disbelief.

"Harry?" Hermione said gently.

Harry's heart thudded against his ribcage. "It was a dream…wasn't it?"

The backdoor closed with a click. The final figure pulled the zipper down on their coat and swept the furry the hood back.

"It wasn't a dream, Harry." The newcomer said shrugging off her coat.

Vivid amber eyes locked onto his as she shook back her long wavy dark hair back into place.

"But I can make it a dream, if it makes you feel better, little bro."

Every fibre of Harry's being exploded with bliss like he had never felt before. At the very same moment, his mind decided to pull back every single moment from last night in clarity that showed so obviously he hadn't been dreaming.

The very same gigantic smile from the night before crossed Harry's lips. "Krysta."

Krysta smiled. "Morning – or should I say afternoon? God, you teenagers are lazy." She glanced at the others. "Is he always like this?"

Harry burst out laughing – he had no idea what came over him – and he couldn't stop. Within seconds everyone else was laughing too. Ron and Hermione had to hold onto the table to stop from falling over, Sirius and Lupin were bent over, one hand on their knees and holding onto each other with the free one to stop from falling too.

And Harry was back in Krysta's embrace, relishing her warmth and security and the undeniable truth that she loved him so very much.

When the laughter finally died down, Krysta leaned back against the kitchen counter and looked over her brother.

"I'm guessing you slept well," she said, pleased. "It's nice seeing you not looking like death."

"Thanks." Harry replied. "I feel great today."

Krysta smiled. "I'm glad – you're no fun when you're sad." She reached out and brushed those thick dark locks away from his cheek. "You look so much like Dad, d'you know that?"

"Yeah," the teenager glanced back at Sirius and Lupin. "So everyone keeps saying."

"Right down to the wild hair – have you heard of a hairbrush?"

Harry blushed as he batted her hand away and endured the sniggers from his friend.

"So," Sirius said clasping his hands together. "How about lunch everyone? And breakfast for Harry."

As more giggles accented the air and the teenager's blush deepened, the kitchen became a flurry of activity. Hermione and Mrs Weasley pulled out their wants and unloaded the small package Sirius had brought in – which then flooded food all over the kitchen countertops.

"This is why you don't go shopping with girls." Ron stated, craning to see over the huge pile.

"This is exactly why you go shopping with girls." Hermione countered. "Because all the men in the house eat everything and only then are bloody pleased with how much the girls bought."

"Well said, my dear." Mrs Weasley agreed.

Ron grudgingly gave in and handed Harry a bread roll. "Got you this – I already ate mine."

"Thanks, Ron." Harry took the food and opened it up and took a bite. The taste of the freshly baked bread instantly soothing his very soul – until Hermione elbowed him to help with unloading the groceries.

At the dining table, Lupin smiled and took a seat at the table with the book he had been looking for. He glanced up at Sirius now sipping a cup of tea and reading the tome over his shoulder.

"Did she ask yet?" Lupin asked softly.

Sirius shook his head. "She won't ask. She won't put him in danger. Not this time. She's got a diversion going at the moment, so no one even knows she's in the UK."

"Dante?"

"Yep."

"Smart girl."

"Good girl. She wouldn't risk anything that could put Harry in danger – she never does."

Lupin sighed and placed the book down as his old friend took the seat beside him. "Have we been so wrong all these years?"

Sirius glanced over at the kitchen and grinned seeing the teenagers already fighting over the snacks and Mrs Weasley trying and failing to control them all. "No, she said so herself. Krysta only intervened because Harry was in so much pain this year. She was always there for him without his knowledge; she only revealed herself to him when it was necessary – it must have been so difficult. If the tables were turned, I doubt I could have had so much iron-will. All that time in Azkaban, all I could think about was Harry." He shook his head. "Do you remember five months ago at the Dursleys? How well Harry looked after they had spent a week together – she did that. Just being with someone that cared fixed Harry so much and we couldn't see that. God, look at the boy now; he's spent twenty minutes with her so far."

Lupin leaned his chin on an upturned fist. "I just remember the look on her face when we ordered her to obliviate his memory again. It's like it's etched on the inside of my eyelids."

"It was wrong of us to do that. I can see that now. It's why it haunts us so much." Sirius smiled as he caught Harry's wondering gaze and pointed to the backdoor. He watched as the boy grabbed Ron's discarded parka and bolted outside into the garden. "I think this really is time to let the promise die. Krysta has taken care of herself for sixteen years and him. She's far more capable than we have given her credit for."

"Agreed."

The men exchanged another smile and went back to the books.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry quickly caught his sister as she stumbled backwards from the huge silvery-gold Hippogriff in the vast backyard of the house.

"Thanks, Harry." Krysta said surprised and glad he had been there.

"No problem." Harry replied.

Regaining her balance, Krysta strode back up to the gigantic creature and placed her hands on her hips. "Buckbeak!" she said sharply. "That wasn't very nice!"

The huge creature squawked frighteningly at her, then instantly bowed his head, lowering himself on his front quarters.

"I should think so." Krysta stated. "I'm a girl – you can't be so rough with me. That's why that girl Griff didn't like you. You're being too rough."

Buckbeak squawked again, much quieter this time and with his head still bowed.

Krysta sighed and stepped closer to the animal that dwarfed her so easily and gently lifted his head to stroke his feathers.

"She's a girl, Buckbeak, you can't shove her around like you do with boys. Boys are bigger and stronger, they can take it. All you did was upset her. I even get to get her back for you and you managed to muck it up again." She smiled as the creature nuzzled his head against hers. "Look, next time you see a girl Griff you like, treat her the way you treat me – and assume that she will react the same way as me if you annoy her too."

The creature nuzzled her again, his squawks turning into what sounded like…purring.

Krysta pulled away from the beast and backed off from him. "Go on, Buckbeak, go let off some steam."

The hippogriff squawked again and flexed his huge majestic wings. Harry grinned in bliss as he raised his arms to shield his eyes from the huge gust of wind that almost sent him flying backwards.

Laughing, Krysta shielded her eyes from the glistening sunlight and watched the huge creature soar into the crisp blue sky over London.

"Aren't muggles going to notice him?" Harry asked curiously.

"No, there's a perception filter around him the same one that's over this house. No one sees anything they don't expect to see." Krysta glanced at him. "I'm quite proud of that. It's the reason why no one ever finds you when you're at a safe house, Harry. I can fuel it wherever you go even if I'm on the other side of the world so I know you're safe."

Harry stared at her, stunned. "You maintain the spells around the Sirius' house?"

Krysta shook her head. Taking his hand, she led him to an old garden bench in the corner by the back door and, before they sat down, she pressed a palm to the damp wood. Almost instantly, the bench dried out and the two of them took a seat.

"The others all cast the spells and charms around the house to protect it, Harry." Krysta said relaxing back into the bench. "I just maintain the perception filter around the building and all of the spells including Dumbledore's. should anyone magical or muggle notice anything out of the ordinary here, the filter changes their memory to something they expect to see and the suspicion fades. It actually works better on magical folk than on humans, which is why no one ever finds you when you're being protected. Except…"

Harry bit his lower lip as he watched his sister. Again, that brilliant light in her eyes seemed to dull, as if remembering something she couldn't bare to look at again.

"Except our house."

Startled, the siblings looked up at Ron and Hermione beside him as the back door slowly closed.

Scooting over on the picnic bench, the newcomers joined the others.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, vaguely noticing that Ron was wearing his jacket and then realising that he was wearing Ron's.

"When our house was destroyed just before school started." Ron said. "Your perception filter wasn't active, was it?"

Krysta shook her head sadly. "No, it wasn't. I was there though. I pulled your twin brothers out before they were crushed, but I couldn't save your house without revealing myself."

"You saved Fred and George?" Hermione repeated.

Krysta nodded. "The house was too heavily damaged. The smoke was too strong the twins couldn't get out and were falling unconscious already. I…actually smashed your house even more to give them a way out and blasted them into the field to your Mum."

Ron's jaw dropped open. "And Mum still doesn't like you?"

"She thinks it was my fault."

Silence descended.

Krysta folded her arms on the table and rested her head on it, gazing off into the distance at Buckbeak somersaulting in mid-air.

"Krysta…" Ron said gently. "Why doesn't Mum like you?"

"It's a very long story. Bottom line is, she doesn't want me in her house or near it or have my power protect the house from Voldemort and his followers." She closed her eyes. "That's why I'm out here and she's in there."

"But why?" Harry pressed. "Mrs Weasley is the nicest woman in the world – well, when she's not mad at you anyway – and she was holding a wand to your throat last night."

There was a long silence.

"You said you would tell Harry everything, Krysta." Hermione said quietly.

The silence continued.

"Molly wanted to adopt Krysta."

Startled, everyone save Krysta looked up.

Mr Weasley sighed deeply and took a seat at the table with the teenagers and placed his hat on the table top. "That's the main reason why she doesn't like Krysta."

Ron stared at his father incredulously. "What? You mean Krysta was almost my sister?"

The table jolted as Krysta abruptly stood up. Sweeping her hair over her shoulder, she looked at Mr Weasley. "Please tell Mrs Weasley I won't be here for lunch."

Harry bolted to his feet too. "Where're you going?"

Krysta squeezed his shoulder, dispelling that horrible stain of fear from his eyes. "You're coming too if you want."

Mr Weasley looked at her. "We should run it by the others first."

"I'm taking Buckbeak and we're going to the end of the garden."

The older man cocked his head to one side and then nodded. "I guess that's alright then."

Harry followed his sister to the middle of the garden. "Why do we need Buckbeak to go to the end of the garden? It's right there."

Krysta smiled and raised her hand high above her. "This garden is a lot bigger than it seems."

Harry gasped as her palm shimmered pure white for a moment. It looked like her hand was made of diamonds, but it only lasted a split second.

What happened next was so fast, his mind didn't even register it.

Wind rushed past them at a million miles an hour as Buckbeak swooped past. Grasping his harness, Krysta swung herself round, scooping Harry up by the waist and sweeping him up into the saddle before hauling herself up behind him.

Harry laughed blissfully as his sister cheered, her musical voice echoing through the icy winds as she held onto him and the beast and soared into the open blue.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed unable to wipe the huge grin from his face.

"It really was." Hermione said just as exhilarated by what she had seen.

Mr Weasley chuckled. "She really does have a way with Buckbeak, that girl. Hagrid adores her for it. Charlie too."

Ron and Hermione looked at the older man again.

"What were you going to say, Dad?" Ron asked, sitting down again.

Mr Weasley sighed deeply and regarded the teenagers. "I expect Krysta wanted to tell Harry herself, so I may as well tell you the long story of it all. Your Mum will be upset, but if Harry knows, so should you."

"Yes." Said another voice. "You should know."

"Mum." Ron said.

Mrs Weasley smiled ruefully and sat down next to her husband opposite the teenagers. She looked at the older man sadly. "Oh, Arthur, I've made so many mistakes."

"Now, now, Molly." Mr Weasley said clasping her hand reassuringly. "Krysta is a strong, resilient girl. She understands why all of this happened and she has never held it against us. She's never been anything less than kind to you too."

"But I've held it against her." Mrs Weasley said, beginning to weep. "All her life, I've held it against her. I've been cruel and mean and I even took my wand to her – god, what must she think of me?"

"The same she has always thought of you, Molly – a very good mother doing the best for her children, and her baby brother. She knows exactly why you have acting like this to her."

Mr Weasley dew his wife closer and regarded the teenagers.

"It's a very long story," he began.


	4. Chapter 4

"I didn't know Hyde Park was so pretty in the winter." Harry said wrapping his arms around himself as the chills took over.

Krysta smiled and nodded. "This part is quite isolated, the people who live here don't even know about it most of the time."

The two of them were sitting on a circular dry patch of lush, bouncy grass in a small corner of Hyde Park surrounded by tall, majestic oaks whose bare arms dappled the sunlight that cast over them and onto the vast lake complete with little ducks and elegant swans.

"Here," Krysta told him, urging her brother to sit back. "Lie against Buckbeak. He's always nice and warm. I fall asleep on him all the time because of it. It's a good thing he can catch too."

The huge creature purred as Harry nestled back into his baby soft features, the beast helpfully folding his wings back to allow him to rest comfortably as the hippogriff relaxed behind him too.

"Aren't you cold?" Harry asked.

Krysta shook her head. "Perks of having a good jacket and long hair." She leaned forward and pressed her palm to his chest. "Ron's jacket is a bit thin, let's puff it up a bit."

Again, there was a moment where Harry could see the gently shimmer of white magic and nothing more. A moment later Harry felt incredibly toasty.

"What did you do?" he asked in awe.

"Nothing much." She replied. "I just changed the feather filling in the jacket to lambs' wool. You're too skinny, you're getting cold really easily."

Harry smiled. "Ron will be thanking you for this later."

Krysta smiled too.

A calm silence descended.

Harry watched his sister. He saw how those amber eyes cast away over the lake, gaining a faraway glint he hadn't seen before; as if she was remembering something so long ago it felt like a fairy tale and nothing more.

"You wanted to tell me yourself…didn't you?"

Krysta pulled her knees up to her chest and nodded, letting her long dark hair ripple in the gentle breeze. It hid her face behind the silky veil, but she didn't say anything else.

Harry bit his lip, unsure how to express his desperation to know in a way that didn't sound too demanding and, worryingly, might drive his sister away. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. he clasped his cold fingers and regarded her again, only just stopping himself from blurting out all the questions that inundated his mind making it nothing more than a hive of excited bees. He didn't understand the sense of dread that seemed to rise up in him too. there was so much he wanted to know, but he could risk anything that could turn her away from him. The sheer thought of losing his big sister already due to his impulsive nature scared him on a level he didn't think was possible.

"I've seen your temper, Harry. You don't need to worry about it."

The teenager stared at her. "How did you-?"

Krysta chuckled softly and finally cast vivid amber eyes back onto his. "It usually only takes a day or so before we are arguing like a real brother and sister when I come to see you. I love you to bits, little brother, but we are very different people – which is why I always win and you get super mad about it."

Harry laughed, the relief washing through him at her words. "We've done this before too?"

"Oh yeah, raging arguments – usually because you want to call Ron and Hermione and Sirius and tell them about me. A couple of times it was because you were mad at me for not being there for you, but you usually come around when I explain."

"How come you always win?"

Krysta grinned. "Perks of being the eldest – you don't get to win."

Harry laughed again, feeling so incredibly happy, he could scarcely believe it.

"I should probably start at the beginning." Krysta said crossing her legs on the grass to sit more comfortably. "But I think we should start with you first."

Harry watched as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small vial filled with a wispy, silvery material gently rippling like ribbons on the waves of the ocean.

"That's a memory." The teenager said, his eyes wide.

"Yes." Krysta held out the vial to him. "They're your memories Harry."

"What?"

The girl gestured for him to take the vial and watched as the teenager held it up to the light, gazing in awe at the wispy substance.

"I promised to stay away and out your life, Harry. The others thought this was the best option to keep you safe and I agreed, but it tore out my heart to make that pact. They knew I couldn't hold it for long and sure enough, I was breaking it within a few months after Mum and Dad died." She swept her long hair over her shoulder and gazed out over the lake. "Dumbledore and Uncle Remus told me I couldn't let you remember me; it was my punishment for seeing you and breaking my promise. I had to wipe your memory of me, our encounter and everything we built together each time I revealed myself to you. They ordered me to obliviate your memory."

Harry swallowed thickly, trying and failing to stop the sudden anger rising up inside him. "They deliberately held you away from me."

"There is a reason, Harry." Krysta smiled reassuringly. "A really good reason. I couldn't let you remember me, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't obliviate all those memories. They meant so much to me, I couldn't just eradicate them from you. One day I knew this would all be over and I couldn't just let everything we had together vanish into nothing. So I took the memories from you instead and kept them." She looked at her brother and gestured to the vial in his hand. "Each time I told you who I was, I wasn't sure how you would react, I couldn't stop the raging fear that you'd think I was lying or this was trick or lash out at me because I wasn't there for you all this time, so I took the memories from you instead of wiping them clear so I had something to convince you instead. I couldn't bear the thought of you thinking I was a fraud. It scared me to death each time I came to see you."

"I believe you, Krysta." Harry said sincerely. He shook his head. "I believe you're my sister and everything you've told me – how could anyone fake all that stuff you said last night?" He pressed a hand to his heart. "I've been falling apart for months and no one tried to help me, no one listened when I reached out for help – but you saw it straight away. I believed you the moment I heard you through the door."

Krysta smiled. "I'm glad."

Harry frowned. "Have I lashed out at you before?"

"Sometimes, but not often. Most of the time I just tell you the stories you've told me and you know I'm telling the truth. You test me the way Hermione did." An amused smile crossed her lips. "Of course each and every time you asked me the same questions, so I had to prompt you to ask me another one to make sure you believed me."

"Oh right…I guess we must've had the same conversation so many times."

"So many – this one too."

Harry chuckled.

Krysta glanced away from him to the beast behind. "This is something I haven't done before though. None of the others know I kept your memories safe instead of vanquishing them. I've decided I'm not going to wipe your memory again, so I think I should give your memories back. It will explain a lot and they do belong to you."

Harry stared at the vial. "How -?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Buckbeak's enormous wing descended on him and enveloped him with warmth and protection – and also pinned him to the creature's torso.

A sharp gasp escaped him, already freaked out and struggling against the hippogriff.

The huge creature's head swung back to him and plucked the vial of memories from his unresisting hand into his powerful beak.

"It's okay, Harry." Krysta said seeing his alarmed look and quickly grasping his arm. "Buckbeak's giving your memories back to you. It won't hurt, but it will feel weird, so he's holding you to make you feel better. He really is quite sweet."

Harry nodded, feeling calmer as the huge creature settled around him securely. "It feels weird?"

"You know that feeling when you're doing something and suddenly a flash of a dream fills your mind out of nowhere? It feels like that."

"Oh, that doesn't sound so bad."

"Imagine that about 300 times."

" _What_?!"

Krysta sidled up to him too and gently brushed his wild locks away from his face. "I've come to see you about 300 times over sixteen years, Harry." She smiled reassuringly, quickly dispelling that scared look. "You're gonna notice the amount of times we have the same conversations. You'll also see all the times you've seen me, but we haven't spoken. I was made to take those memories from you too. Dumbledore couldn't risk you trying to find out who I am. It will be a little overwhelming, but I promise it won't hurt. They're your memories after all."

Harry looked at her anxiously. "Overwhelming?"

"Well, there's quite a lot of them." His sister blushed. "I really am rubbish at keeping away from you." She grasped his hand tightly in both her own. "Try not to worry. Buckbeak and I are with you."

And just like that, Harry's heart quietened and the sense of dread subsided.

The sound of breaking glass snapped through the air.

That was the very last thing he heard.

The silvery memories from the vial slipped silently but rapidly through the air straight towards Harry. They burst into pure magic as they neared him, shimmering invitingly, as the gentle tendrils of golden sparkles lovingly beckoned him towards it. inexplicably drawn to it, the teenager stared at it in awe.

Suddenly, he could hear voices. They were too faint to hear what they were saying, but he recognised them. He could hear his own voice, saying things he didn't remember saying. He could hear Krysta's gentle voice too. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but her could hear her laughing, her whispering, scolding, shouting – each and every tone of her voice calling out to him.

Unable to do anything, trapped by the Hippogriff holding him, Harry gasped as the light came into contact with him – and poured directly into his forehead.

He convulsed and shuddered as his memories were shoved back where they belonged. Hundreds of them flashing across his mind's eyes. Snatches of images, tastes, sensations, more of Krysta's voice filled his head as the memories were replaced where they had been ripped from. Faster and faster, the memories flashed, the images began to blur as the parts flashed and the voices became clearer and more profound.

Then Harry saw them.

He saw Krysta sitting opposite him holding a tiny little cupcake with a number five on it and a single candle. He saw her standing outside the gates of his primary school on his first day. He felt her grab his arm and pull him back before he fell in front of a car after Dudley had pushed him – and saw how she kicked him hard in the balls for it too. He remembered Krysta reassuring him that life under the stairs wasn't all bad as she handed him his tiny figurines for Christmas. He saw himself with her in the Dursley kitchen – she was teaching him how to cook in the early hours so he didn't get punished again for burning food when he was eight. He remembered the scent of her when he had cuddled her and fallen asleep after crying for hours under the Dursleys' horrible words about his parents. He remembered how she had smiled when the glass under Dudley's hands had vanished and sent him flying into the snake enclosure. He remembered seeing her as Hagrid took him to King's Cross on his first trip to Hogwarts, just standing in the background like any other person watching him meet the Weasleys for the first time. He saw her face as she woke up in the hospital wing after encountering Quirrel's insane transformation on the third floor.

Then there was even more.

More and more memories flooded back in. She had come to see him and revealed herself to him more and more as he got older. During second year, her worry about all the petrifications had kept her close. He remembered seeing her when he burst into the Chamber of Secrets and instantly forgot. He remembered her telling him not to believed the Daily Prophet about Sirius when he had escaped Azkaban, making sure over and over to keep an open mind, to trust Professor Lupin, to practise the Patronus charm and keep digging for more information.

Then this year…

…he remembered how she had revealed herself in a storm of anger demanding if he had put his name into the Goblet of Fire. He saw her watching him taking on the dragon, silently deflecting the fire from him until he could summon up his own courage… then he remembered Cedric dying.

He remembered the trauma that carved so deep into his heart and soul. He remembered he endless tears that wouldn't come out. He remembered the numbness and isolation of the days following, turning into weeks that blurred into nothing.

Then there was her.

 _"_ _I watched the house for two weeks and you didn't leave your room much for the first week, then Uncle Vernon locked you in when Dudley beat you up and he blamed your for it. they even forgot to feed you and you didn't make a sound about it. I had to see you…I froze the family and came inside. I unlocked your door and you were on your bed. You were half-starved, Harry, thin and lifeless, fading away under the crushing burden of the trauma you'd suffered. You were awake, but not there… I lay down on your bed with you and held you, the same way I did just now. Then you fell asleep and didn't dream. You just slept… I kept the family frozen so he wasn't disturbed…"_

Yes, he remembered. He remembered their conversations. He remembered the meals they shared. He remembered hearing her talking about Mum and Dad. He remembered her loving embrace…until Sirius and the rest of the Order showed up and they tearfully parted…

…until now.

When Harry opened his eyes, he was still lying in Buckbeak's embrace with Krysta kneeling opposite him.

Sitting up, he moved out of the hippogriff's wing as the creature drew his wing away, and slipped his arms around the big sister he had known all of his life.

"I missed you, Krysta." He whispered. He drew her close and rested his head against her shoulder as her palm laid against the back of his head the way he cherished. "You've always been there for me. I remember now. I remember everything."

Above him, Krysta rested her head against his and closed her eyes, feeling exactly the same way.

It was a few moments before Harry finally pulled back and looked up into overjoyed shimmering amber eyes.

"What's the first thing you remember?" Krysta asked curiously.

The teenager thought for a moment, then smiled. "A tiny cupcake with a five drawn in icing on it."

Krysta laughed. "Oh yeah, your fifth birthday – I broke into your house. Scared the Dursleys so much they ran screaming from the house and they charmingly left you behind."

Blue eyes widened. "Why did you do that?"

"They'd been ignoring your birthday for four years and locking you in the cupboard under the stairs. You were finally old enough to realise it was your birthday and they were really cruel to you when you told them that morning." Krysta grinned devilishly. "I waited until nightfall and pretended there was a ghost in the house and freaked them out so much they went screaming to the neighbours."

Harry burst out laughing. "Really?!"

"Yep. They didn't dare go back in the house so it was just you and me until you fell asleep from way too much cupcake and Dudley's double chocolate ice-cream." The girl leaned closer, hiding her lips with a hand and lowering her voice. "I replaced it with cheap ice cream laced with laxatives; he had a right nasty surprise the next time he was peckish for it."

Harry grinned and laughed again.

"Dumbledore gave me a right telling off after that one." Krysta sighed, controlling herself. "I was fourteen and this was the first time I'd actually spent any real time with you. Beforehand it was the odd glimpse of me or a strange girl that you noticed once – those memories were easy to collect so the others weren't so angry about it and understood I just wanted to see you. This time, though, they were mad. Dumbledore lessened his tone when I told him what the Dursleys had said to you, but I was still made to erase your memory of me."

"What did the Dursleys say to me?" Harry asked curiously.

Krysta shook her head. "It doesn't matter. They were being cruel about Mum and Dad just to hurt a five-year-old kid, even Uncle Remus was on my side and agreed they deserved to be scared witless." She cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. "After that happened, I think Dumbledore paid them a visit – since then they weren't cruel to you about Mum and Dad unless it was out of impulse and they just ignored your birthday instead of saying awful things to you."

"Maybe Dumbledore said something to them." Harry mused.

"I wondered that. Besides, I couldn't see you that often anymore; as good as I am at sneaking out, getting away from Hogwarts was a right pain in the neck." She saw Harry's expression. "I was fourteen, I was in third year by then. I finished school way before you started – that's why I could see you more the older we both got. I was twenty when you started in first year."

Harry stopped dead. He frowned as he re-did the maths in his head and ignored the little voice at the back of his mind that repeated Kreacher's words when he had woken up too.

"You were already an adult – you could do whatever you wanted when I started Hogwarts." Harry said in awe. "That's why you came to see me so much more when I started school."

Krysta nodded. "That and you seemed to keep on getting into trouble, so I just wanted to be around more. Everyone knows you, Harry, being famous is more trouble than it's worth and you seemed to be everyone's target." She smiled suddenly. "You looked so cute as a first year, totally adorable. I wanted to eat you just looking at you."

Harry blushed bright red. His cheeks burned so much, he couldn't help but look away. And Krysta couldn't help but laugh.

"Actually, all three of you were the most adorable little things. Hermione had all that hair and Ron looks so much like his big brothers now. God, he could be a younger clone of Charlie and of Bill."

Harry looked up at her sharply, suddenly remembering the conversation they had been having before she had whisked him off to Hyde Park.

"You know Charlie and Bill too?"

The girl nodded and swept her long hair over her shoulder again. "They're both older than me. We used to play together outside the Weasley house when Percy was crying to get away from all that noise."

Harry's jaw was hanging open and his vivid blue eyes once more wide with disbelief. "You lived with the Weasleys." He murmured. "It's true; Mrs Weasley did want to adopt you."

Krysta didn't answer. Instead, she stood up and smoothed out her clothes. Harry watched as his sister walked away to the lake and gazed over the icy waters glittering in the afternoon light.

She suddenly looked so alone, so far away from the whole world and everyone in it, it struck deep and painfully.

Despite the awful nature of the Dursleys and the solitude he had felt, he had never been alone really. He could clearly remember Krysta always being there for him too now – it explained why he hadn't grown up to be total weirdo too. Even if he couldn't remember her, he had felt her effects long after she was gone and still grown up to be a responsible well-functioning teenager. Discounting the events of this year of course.

Slowly, Harry stood up, leaving Buckbeak to lounge in the sunlight and joined his sister at the lake side.

He watched her as she kneeled down and gazed into the water at their reflections, seeing the wobbling image of the Potter siblings gazinf back at them.

"Krysta," Harry said gently. "Tell me about your life."

Krysta gave into a small, sad smile. "You've never asked me that before."

"Hermione will tell you quite bluntly that I'm a bit slow on the uptake."

Krysta chuckled softly.

Harry smiled as she straightened up and looked at him. "I know I always ask about what Mum and Dad were like and I tell you a million stories that you've heard before – I'm a bit thick and I never really clocked until now that you had a whole life too."

The siblings began to idly amble along the water's edge, enjoying the crisp London weather in this pretty part of Hyde Park.

"What do you want to know?" Krysta asked.

"Start from the beginning." Harry said. "Like you wanted to."

Krysta looked away over the park as they walked, taking in every aspect of the freezing but beautiful time of year as she began to speak.

"I'm adopted, Harry." She started. "Your mum and dad took me in when I was seven years old. My birth mother was a muggle and already gone. She'd died in childbirth, so I was raised by my father; his name was Michael Rivera. He was a very powerful man with a gift that was rare and almighty so he was always on the run. So many people wanted to use him for their own gain, but he wouldn't let them. Magic is a gift, but his was a curse. He was always being hunted or extorted or forced into doing the bidding of whoever had the best leverage, but he was strong. He said no every single one."

She smiled seeing Harry's admiring look.

"My father was clever and brave as well as powerful. So many times others tried to corner him, tried to force him to do what they wanted and each time he took them out with all the grace and devastating ability of a god on the warpath. He had a temper similar to yours, Harry."

"He did?"

"Yeah, especially if they tried to threaten me." Krysta chuckled seeing his suddenly stunned expression. "If they dared use me, his fury knew no end – they never saw the light of day again. He was usually so kind and gentle, but not if they had the balls to threaten me. They suffered a fate way worse than death." She glanced over at a family of ducks, gazing at the adorable little ducklings following their mother into the water for an afternoon swim. "That's how he met Dumbledore and the others; Sirius, Remus, Mum and Dad and the Weasleys. The professor offered him something no one else had ever offered."

"What was it?"

"Respect."

Across the lake, Buckbeak squawked loudly at a couple of swans that had ventured too close and scared them away in a flurry of feathers.

"Smooth, isn't he?" Harry said, amused.

"You should've seen him with the girl Griff yesterday."

Harry glanced at her. "What happened to your father?"

His chest ached seeing the flash of deep-seated sorrow she tried so hard to hide.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, his gaze automatically dropping in shame.

Gentle fingers slipped under his chin and draw his gaze back up into sad but still shining amber eyes.

"I was six when my father died." She told him, unable to keep the pained note out of her voice. "I remember how he took me aside just before it happened. I learned later when I was older that Voldemort had targeted him, intent on using his power to gain control of the magical world, but I didn't know that then. He took me aside in the back room of the Leaky Cauldron and told me he would love me forever and I was the most precious thing in his whole world. So precious he gave me something he had been holding onto all his life. He told me to keep it safe and use it wisely in any way I saw fit. It was mine to have now. Then he kissed on the forehead and cuddled me the way that I do to you and I could see his amber eyes were full of tears, but they were happy tears. Then he left me with Mrs Weasley and Dumbledore. That was the last time I ever saw him."

Harry's heart thudded. "What happened to him?"

"I didn't understand until I was older." Krysta told him. "Uncle Sirius sat me down and explained that he was gone too just like my mother." Silent tears slipped down her cheeks. "Voldemort had threatened me if he didn't join his cause and in every single way he could think of, this was the only way he could see to keep me safe. My father confronted Voldemort – and totally kicked his ass."

Harry blinked, certain he had heard wrong. "What?"

Krysta smiled through her tears and wiped them away. "At that moment, in every single way, my father could not think of another way out, so he took on Voldemort himself. He kicked his ass all over the place until he was begging for my father to stop." She laughed seeing her brother's wide eyes again. "Ask Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus when we get back, they were there. Mum and Dad too. The whole Order all came as his back up – then they realised my father didn't need back up."

"Then what happened?" the teenager surged towards her, desperate to know.

"My father was about to kill Voldemort, but he stood down. The threat he had made on my life still stood. So my father made a deal – if he died right then and there, Voldemort could not touch me. If he refused the pact, Voldemort and all his dreams of glory were to die instead." Krysta closed her eyes and drew in a deep cleansing breath. "My father killed himself in front of them all. He sacrificed himself to protect me from Voldemort."

Silence fell.

Harry stared into the ripple water, looking deeply into his own vivid blue eyes staring back. "How did he know Voldemort would keep his word?"

"He didn't. So he had a plan b."

"What was that?"

"The gift he gave me." Krysta swept her long hair back from her shoulders. "Father had sacrificed himself for me and left me with a gift in my very skin – sound familiar?"

Harry stopped short. "Mum."

His big sister nodded. "The very same old magic. The moment Voldemort went back on his word, he couldn't touch me. He came after me, but was repelled over and over again. he couldn't come near me because of what my father had done to protect me. But it still left one problem."

"What was it?"

"A six-year-old girl with no parents."

The siblings at down at a bench underneath an ancient willow tree.

"When my father had met Dumbledore and the others, Mr and Mrs Weasley had already had three sons. Percy was a toddler, Charlie was eight and Bill was ten. Mrs Weasley had tried three times to have a little girl – then suddenly there was me with a single father. I spent a lot of time at their house. Charlie and Bill became my older brothers for the time and we played together in the fields while Mrs Weasley tended to Percy – he was a screaming, tantruming type of toddler. Nothing like how you were. She taught me how to cook and sew and build things – and how to keep up with her near-teenage boys too. it was the happiest time of my life."

"So when your birth father died, Mrs Weasley wanted to adopt you." Harry breathed. "She liked you back then."

Krysta nodded. "Yeah, she did. Until the aftermath of what my father had done hit." She sighed deeply. "It was barely a week later when the Death Eaters stormed the Weasley house. Voldemort hadn't even recovered from the beating he'd received and he was breaking his word already. They swarmed the house looking for me. Everyone was screaming – I had been playing in the den with Charlie and Bill and they pulled me close, trying to protect me, but there were too many of them. The boys were savaged; they barely got out alive. It was only a few minutes until Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus, your dad and several others showed up to beat them away. That was when they all saw it."

Harry didn't understand his suddenly pounding heart. "What did they see?"

"Charlie and Bill were torn to shreds; they needed immediate care, but I was completely untouched – and surrounded by the ashes of the Death Eaters who had touched me. The sacrifice my father had made saturated my skin with the same your mother's did too, Harry, but this was even stronger. Voldemort had broken his word and his followers had paid the price. They touched me and instantly crumbled into dust." She gazed out at the park again, not really looking at anything, that same faraway glisten dulling the vibrancy of her amber eyes. "I still remember how Mrs Weasley looked at me. Her boys had tried to protect me and they were near death. The house was decimated and I was completely fine. She was devastated at the destruction I had brought to her house."

Harry shook his head vehemently. "No, no. That's not what she's like! They follow me everywhere too and she insists I stay with them. She knows I attract danger."

Krysta smiled ruefully. "Not like, I do, Harry."

The teenager frowned, completely misunderstanding what she meant.

"It went on like that for days." She continued. "It was relentless and Mrs Weasley couldn't deal anymore. She asked Dumbledore to take me away; she had to keep her kids safe and I wasn't one of them."

Harry pressed a hand to his heart, feeling the horrific sensation of it tearing apart. "Then what happened?"

"Dumbledore took me to Hogwarts and I stayed there for a bit. The school is pretty much a fortress, so nothing could get to me there, but it was no place for a child. I was alone and grieving and despite Dumbledore's best efforts, this wasn't a home for a child. That was when I met her."

Harry blinked. "Who?"

"Who do you think?"

Harry smiled.

"Your mum was so pretty, so know that?" Krysta said with a smile. "Her eyes were bright and sparkly, blue like the crashing waves of the ocean, just like yours. Then there was all that flame red hair that tumbled over her shoulders." She laughed softly. "I had seen her before, but we hadn't really talked. Most of the time they were all having hushed discussions with my father while I played in another room. She was at Hogwarts visiting some of the Professors to tell them about her wedding to James. I was in Dumbledore's office when she came up; she didn't realise he had stepped out to deal with some misbehaving students. I was reading the old books in the professor's office and playing with the various knick-knacks when she walked in."

Harry smiled. "What did Mum say?"

"She saw me surrounded by open books on the floor, fiddling with that sand timer that goes up and trying to work out how it worked after I'd got bored arguing with the Sorting Hat, with Fawkes poking at me for attention and she asked me why I'd made such a huge mess." Krysta laughed. "I was seven by then and didn't really undertand sarcasm yet, so I glanced around me and told her, I didn't see any mess, I only saw learning. She burst out laughing. Then Dumbledore came back in."

"Mum just started laughing?" Harry said incredulously.

Krysta nodded. "I didn't even realise I'd made a joke until I aske Dumbledore about it when she had left. But since then, Lily kept coming back to Hogwarts to talk to me and we'd play and learn; soon she was bringing James with her and they were there every day, excited to see me. It was only two weeks later Hagrid took me back to London on Sirius' motorbike and told me James and Lily wanted me to live with them. Even knowing what had happened with the Weasleys, they didn't care. They wanted me to be their daughter in honour of my father. They asked if I wanted to call them Mum and Dad – just to help me, not to replace my parents. They wanted me to know they cherished me as I was and didn't want to change anything I disagreed with. and that's how it all started." She glanced at Harry. "A year later, there was you and other year later, they died."

As silence fell again, the siblings cuddled up together, both of them taking the time to let the info sink in.

"Were there still attacks?" Harry asked softly.

Above him, Krysta nodded. "So many. But they were always there for me. And when Voldemort placed the death warrant on them too, we had to go into full hiding. We made it almost a year before we were found." She pulled back and cupped Harry's face in her hands again, adoring how much like their father he looked as well as those blue eyes of their mother she loved so very much. "I wasn't there the night they were murdered. I was nine years old and lost another set of parents – but I stll had a baby brother. I couldn't let you go after that, Harry. Even if we don't share the same blood, I love you more than anything and I vowed to be here for you no matter what."

Harry hugged her close again. Never in a million years did he think he was would be so touchy-feely with a girl, but it felt so natural to be close to Krysta. there was no where else he would rather be than cuddling his big sister close – especially if his memories were right and they would start arguing at any moment now.

The sun was dipping in the sky when the serenity of the area moment broke.

Krysta glanced up at Buckbeak squawking across the lake.

She sighed. "It's late. We should head back."

As the siblings walked back to the hippogriff, Harry looked up at his sister. "What are you gonna do about Mrs Weasley?"

Krysta shrugged, watching Buckbeak kneel down for her little brother to climb on him. "Same as always, I suppose. She avoids me, I avoid her. As long as she looks after you, it doesn't bother me, Harry. She's only looking after her family."

Harry frowned as she climbed up onto the creature's back behind him. "Why doesn't she mind me attracting danger, but goes spare over you?"

Before she could answer, Buckbeak was soaring through the air and flitting joyously back through the blue towards Sirius' house.


	5. Chapter 5

The house was alive with sound when Buckbeak touched down again.

Harry and Krysta glanced at each other, amused.

Strains of laughter, voices, arguments and strange shuffling sounds were bursting out of the safe house as they walked back to the back door.

"Sounds like a party going on." Krysta remarked.

"Isn't this meant to be a safe house?"

"No one said it needed to be boring though."

Harry pushed open the back door.

"That's not what happened." Hermione said, mock affronted and glaring at Ron.

Ron looked pensive. "I'm pretty sure it was." he grinned. "All furry and cat-like, you looked like a much more adorable version of Crookshanks."

The kitchen burst into laughter as the teenage girl blushed bright red.

"Now, now, Ron." Mr Weasley said. "It's not nice to embarrass a girl."

"Here, here." Mrs Weasley added. "She'll slap you another one if you carry on, Ronald."

Lupin laughed. "Ah teenage dramas; I don't even remember being that young."

"That's because you went from young to old by the time you were twelve, Remus." Sirius said with a grin. He chuckled seeing his old friend's glare. "Remember how you would endlessly berate us for sneaking out at night? You never even wanted to use the Marauder's Map because you thought it was sooo dishonest!"

"It is dishonest!" Hermione agreed, scooting to Lupin's side. "You and Harry are far too easily entertained, you know that?"

"Yes," Lupin added, trying and failing to stop the smile crossing his lips. "You and James were always wanting to run off and do something stupid – who else was going to drag you two back to reality?"

Sirius raised his brandy glass to her. "To the voice of reason – god knows teenage boys need one, here's to Remus and Hermione!"

As the cheering took over, Mrs Weasley sighed in an overly harassed manner. "You boys try our patience so much, you know that?"

Still standing in the doorway, Harry and Krysta looked at each other.

Krysta reached up and brushed his wild dark locks from his cheek and smiled. "Have dinner, Harry. You're far too thin. I'll see you in the morning."

"You're leaving?"

The girl nodded. "I can't be here all the time just in case. I have a distraction going so no one knows I'm here, but I shouldn't tempt fate anyway."

"Please don't leave." Hermione said, suddenly appearing in front of them. She reached behind them and closed the back door. "Mrs Weasley and I are totally outnumbered."

Krysta smiled. "Like that's ever been a problem for you, Hermione."

The teenager grinned despite herself. She caught her hand. "Please stay with us a bit longer, Krysta. It's so nice having you with us. We'd love to get to know you more."

The young woman's resolve faltered as she looked at the teenager, then at Harry who was wearing the exact same look of wanting on his face.

She sighed deeply. as much as she wanted to stay with her little brother forever, it really wasn't her choice.

The kitchen quietened as the men all glanced from her to each other – then settled on Mrs Weasley.

Mrs Weasley gave into a small smile. "I'll put the kettle on, shall I?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Did she tell you everything?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded and leaned forward on his knees. "Yeah, she told me."

Ron let out a deep breath and lounged more comfortably on the stairs that had taken over. "Sounds completely mad, doesn't it? I mean, I never thought Mum would go so far as to kick out a kid because she attracted danger – Krysta was only six too."

"But she isn't like that with Harry," Hermione mused. "Don't you think that's strange? She's the first one to insist we all stay at the Weasley house if Harry's in danger."

Harry shook his head and sighed. "It feels like there's more to this, but Krysta hasn't told me yet – like she doesn't know how to explain it to me." He ran a hand through his hair, trying and failing to tame the wild locks and then smiling as he remembered his sister's words. "Krysta gave me all my memories back too. I remember her now."

The others looked at him sharply.

"What?" Ron said in surprise. "I thought she had to obliviate you each time."

"She couldn't bring herself to do it, so she took the memories from me instead." Harry explained. "She had them in a vial like the ones in Dumbledore's office. She kept them all in case she ever had to prove who she was to me. She was scared to death I wouldn't believe her."

"What do you remember then?" Ron asked, scooting down the steps eagerly. "When did you first meet her?"

Harry smiled, his blue eyes gaining a faraway glint as the new, but old memories surfaced again. "There's so many memories – she really was there all my life."

Hermione smiled too. "Really? She said she wasn't good at keeping her promise. Even Dumbledore wasn't surprised."

Harry nodded. "I remember seeing her everywhere I went, always watching over me. There's times when she broke into the Dursleys when I was upset and held me until I fell asleep. She brought me a cupcake and tiny present each year on my birthday and Christmas and would show up whenever I was feeling particularly alone. She was always there." He chuckled. "I even remember her beating up Dudley so many times for me, then grudgingly having to obliviate his memory of it. she was not happy Lupin made her do that."

The teenagers laughed.

"So she really was around for your whole life." Hermione said admiringly. "But wasn't she putting you in danger?"

Harry shook his head. "No, nothing ever happened when she came to see me. She must've been very careful about it. I just seem to get into trouble on my own."

"That's the understatement of the century." Ron said, rolling his eyes.

Harry laughed with his friends. "She was even sneaking into Hogwarts too. She was there when I played quidditch and was always the first one I saw when I woke up in the hospital wing – she was even there that night the Dementors almost killed me and Sirius. It's why my Patronus was so strong."

Hermione gasped. "What?"

"I thought it was just because I'd already seen myself do it, I knew I could do it again, but it wasn't just that. Krysta was there; she boosted my magic with hers. She told me later that she too had been looking for Sirius. She knew he was innocent when everyone, even Lupin and Dumbledore weren't sure. I remember her coming to me outside Hagrid's one night – she told me she was a friend and to look closer at the reports from the night my parents were killed, to keep digging and to trust Lupin. Turns out Krysta knew Peter Pettigrew too. She would have been a child then, but she knew all of them before everything went to hell."

"God…" Ron murmured.

"God, indeed."

The teenagers looked up at Sirius standing before them at the foot of the stairs.

The man regarded the kids warmly and gestured to the kitchen. "Mrs Weasley is asking if you kids wanted any ice cream. It is quite good if I do say so myself."

Almost instantly, Ron was on his feet and barging past Hermione and Harry. Laughing, the teenagers shook their heads and stood up too.

"Sirius…" Hermione started.

The older man held up a gentle hand. "I strongly suggest to ask Krysta that yourself. Don't worry, my dear, she loves her father as much as she loves to talk about her adopted father - and loves to talk about him too. Go ahead."

With a smile, the teenage girl vanished into the kitchen too.

"How are you, Harry?" Sirius asked, slipping an arm around his shoulders. "Overwhelmed yet?"

The teenager smiled. "A bit, but I'm okay with that." He looked up at his godfather curiously. "Why does Krysta call you and Lupin uncle?"

"Because we are her uncles. When James and Lily adopted her, she became their daughter and we, his best friends, became her godfathers." Sirius cocked his head to one side. "Krysta was five when we all first met her. We were fresh out of school at barely nineteen when we met her father, Michael, and there she was in his arms. This beautiful little girl who looked strikingly like her mother yet had her father's stunning amber eyes. Michael introduced us as Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus, Uncle James and Auntie Lily and the names just stuck, then became real."

Harry watched in awe as Sirius's expression changed to almost idolising.

The older man laughed seeing his godson's look.

"You would've adored Michael, Harry." He said blissfully. "Krysta's father was the most amazing wizard save for Dumbledore I had ever met. He was kind and gentle and so incredibly smart – James was almost as in love with him as he was with Lily."

The two of them laughed.

"We were just kids, but Michael was an adult. He could do things I've never seen anyone do again. He was powerful and strong and brave, but he never let it go to his head. He did right by his girl no matter what was going on. So many dark forces tried to sway him, but he said no every time." Sirius sighed happily. "God, Michael was amazing; I wanted to be just like him. We all did. Right up until the end, he was the best man we ever knew."

"He died to keep Krysta safe." Harry said softly.

Sirius nodded. "There was no other way he could think of to protect her. Even Dumbledore tried to find another path, but there wasn't one."

"He had to die, so she could live." Lupin said, appearing in the doorway. He smiled warmly at Harry. "He died to keep us safe too." He looked at his old friend. "We were daft young things who thought we could take on the world. We were nineteen and thick as planks."

Sirius laughed. "Yeah. You think that way when you're young. It was… quite illuminating when Michael showed us just how young we really were. And just how stupid we were too."

Harry looked at them curiously. "What did he do?"

"He dwarfed our magic by a thousand to one and didn't even break a sweat." Lupin laughed. "I think we all were taught a lesson in that first encounter with him. Michael was even still holding Krysta in one arm as he did it too."

"What did he do?" Harry asked, intrigued now.

The men exchanged glances and embarrassed smiles.

"It was your dad's fault really." Sirius told him. "James always was a cocky so and so; Lily used to kick him for it the same way Hermione kicks Ron. He thought Michael was a whole lot of hot air and the rumours of his power were all blown out of proportion. I mean, we thought it too – there was no way this gorgeous man with golden locks and stunning amber eyes was more powerful than Dumbledore. He was what, thirty-five? He looked every bit a young father, nothing more."

"But he was." Lupin continued. "Michael was so much more than we ever anticipated; even Dumbledore was surprised. Now that was saying something. When James challenged him, Michael just smiled, cuddled his daughter – and clicked his fingers."

Sirius grasped Harry shoulder. "We were meeting in a small office inside the Ministry of Magic. Michael wasn't scared of anything, even though they'd been hounding him for years to use his magic on their orders too. He just nicely said no the way he always did." He shook his head resignedly, his dark eyes glistening in both nostalgia and shame for his words so long ago. "Michael just smiled at James' mean words, cuddled his girl in one arm and clicked his fingers. It happened so fast, none of us even reacted, let alone realised what had happened."

"For a moment, we thought nothing had happened." Lupin said. He ran a hand through his hair. "We even _jeered_ him. God, we were a bunch of idiots back then. Michael just smiled – he knew even then we were just stupid kids and didn't judge us for it. He just smiled and looked at little Krysta and then walked out the door with her."

Harry frowned. "I don't understand. What exactly happened?"

Sirius and Lupin looked at each other again, then started to laugh and couldn't stop.

A hand landed on Harry shoulder. He looked up, startled, at Mr Weasley.

"Paris." Mr Weasley said with a grin. "Michael sent all of us to Paris with nothing more than a click of his fingers."

"It wasn't just us." Sirius said, trying to control himself. "Michael took the entire Ministry of Magic and all the people – and placed us in the middle of Paris!"

" _Paris_?!" Harry gasped, his eyes wide.

"To show us what a bunch of immature idiots we all were, Michael showed us the tiniest amount of his power – and too the entire Ministry and everyone in it to an entirely different country with a click of his fingers!" Lupin finished, straightening up too and wiping the laughing-tears from his eyes. "God, how were we supposed to deal with that? We were stunned. We didn't know what to do – and then all we could think of was to take the day off. Michael had taken his girl to Disneyland, so we all joined him with a truckload of apologies and the Minister was made to wait for four hours while Michael enjoyed time with his daughter before clicking all of us back to London."

Harry grinned, his eyes shining with admiration. "That's so cool!"

"It really was. Michael was so amazing." Mr Weasley sighed. He looked sad for a moment. "We all missed him when he died. But his daughter more than filled that hole." He looked at Harry sincerely. "She really is a wonderful girl, you are so lucky, Harry. We should never have kept her from you. All these years, she has given up her own life because she is always hunted and watched over you for your entire life instead."

Harry smiled, the warmth of the words filling his very soul from the very depths to almost brimming.

"Come on," Mr Weasley said, glancing at the men too. "Everyone's waiting for us to dole out the ice-cream."

Ridiculously ecstatic, Harry re-entered the kitchen – and stopped short.

Then started to laugh.

"I didn't know you could dance, Ron." He said.

Ron grinned as he twirled around in Krysta's arms. "Me neither – but I'm beginning to see the appeal!"

Letting him go, Krysta laughed and caught Hermione's hand and tugged her into the middle of the kitchen as the music simultaneously turned up.

"It's so nice to do this with other people!" Krysta exclaimed as the girls clasped hands and swayed to the music. "Usually I look like a total weirdo!"

"That's why you need a hairbrush to sing into!" Hermione replied twirling around and grabbing Harry's hand.

"Dance with me Uncle Remus," Krysta said catching his hand too. "Do you remember the party after the Hogwarts graduation?"

"Far too well, my dear!" Lupin called, already dragging Sirius after him.

"Oh, why not?" Mr Weasley said, grasping his wife's hand and hauling her away from the melting ice-cream decanters. "Come on, Molly!

Laughing, the teenagers made way for the adults to joining too.

"God, I've missed this." Krysta sighed as she and Harry bumped into each other and laughed.

"Dancing?" Harry replied.

"Being with other people." The girl looked into his eyes, her amber ones shimmering with longing. "I spend so much time alone, I wonder if I've forgotten how to speak sometimes."

She grasped her little brother's hands and spun the two of them around in the middle of the kitchen, swaying with the music.

"Plus, the best thing about being in a group of dancing people, is no one notices how much you can't dance!"

Harry laughed as they twirled around, watching in awe as her long dark hair rippled around her slender form, her amber eyes almost glowing with bliss of all of them being together.

Sirius and Lupin broke away after stealing a dance with Mrs Weasley each and poured another brandy, Mr Weasley bowed in reverence as he asked Hermione for a dance and Ron clumsily switched partners – and ended up with Harry.

"Wow, we are bad at this." Ron said grinning as he came face to face with Harry.

"I think you're worse than I am." Harry replied.

"Hey, I was dancing well with your sister."

Harry grinned – and twirled Ron around and back into his mother.

"Wow, you are bad at this." Hermione laughed and took Harry's hand.

"Mind if I cut in?" Krysta said, catching Ron's arm.

"Be my guest, my dear." Mrs Weasley said, gratefully taking the seat Lupin pulled out for her. "I think that's quite enough dancing for me."

Then it was the four of them, dancing like lunatics to the latest hit by the Weird Sisters.

It was bliss.

But like all moments, it had to end.

The lights flickered and something smashed straight through the glass of the back door.

"Duck!" Mr Weasley shouted.

The young people dove for cover – and Sirius leapt into the air.

"Gotcha!"

Silence fell.

Startled, the occupants of the kitchen slowly pulled themselves to their feet and gathered around the elder man.

"What is it, Sirius?" Mr Weasley said in alarm.

Sirius held up and had and looked into his palm. "Stay calm everyone, it's a rembrall. Seems to be labelled urgent."

"Must be very urgent." Lupin stated. "What does it say?"

Sirius held it up.

The orb was a tiny little ball of glass filled with a dark, angry looking cloud of smoke.

"I thought rembralls are filled with white smoke, then turns red if you've forgotten something." Hermione said, stepping curiously closer. "Why is it filled with dark smoke?"

Lupin's eyes widened. "That smoke…"

It took Harry a moment to realise all three men had stopped staring at the rembrall and were now looking at his sister.

His heart thudded in the most sickly way.

It was like all the life had drained out of Krysta's face. Her skin was ashen white, those gentle amber eyes filled with nothing but pure dread.

Scarcely breathing, she reached out and took the rembrall.

"Krysta?" Harry said, hating the deep dark fear that seemed to flood so quickly through every fibre of his being.

Krysta didn't answer. Her fingers gripped the ball tight. Finally, she looked up at Sirius.

"TV." She demanded. The most horrific look of fear and determination filled her eyes. "Where's the TV?"

"Living room."

In seconds, everyone was piling after her and the TV was flicked on.

Mrs Weasley gasped sharply, her hands flying to her lips.

"Breaking news," said the BBC news caster. "Massive explosions tore through the small city of Dewberry, just outside Oxfordshire only hours ago and are continuing to spread throughout the town. Several people have been injured and appear to have been driven mad by the biblical explosions, claiming to have seen impossible manifestations in between the flames. so far, there have been no reported deaths, but the casualties are on the rise."

As the newscaster continued, Harry didn't hear any more. All he could see was the look of terror staining Krysta's face. His very soul tearing, he reached out and grasped her arm.

"Krysta?"

It took a moment for his sister to even realise he was there. Distraught amber eyes fell onto his. "I have to go."

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "What?"

Before anyone could so anything, Krysta whirled around and grabbed her parker from the sofa where it had been thrown earlier.

"Krysta, it could be a trap." Lupin said urgently.

"There's no could be about it," Mr Weasley said. "It's definitely a trap."

"Are you sure, the could have got the best of him?" Sirius asked. "He's really not one to take on lightly."

Krysta pulled her zipper up and faced her family. She forced herself to stay calm seeing all their alarmed looks.

"I have to check." She stated. "I was sure we'd set everything up and covered all out tracks so I could come here. If I missed something, I have to check and draw them away; no one is finding this house."

"It's too dangerous!" Mrs Weasley said desperately. "If he's been found, there's nothing to be done by going there too!"

"Wait a minute!" Hermione broke in. "What are you talking about? Who are you talking about?"

"Krysta," Harry exclaimed, catching his sister's hand again, his entire being freezing in fear at the thought of losing her. "Where're you going?"

Krysta grasped his hands tightly and looked deep into his eyes. "I'll come back, Harry. I swear across my heart. But right now, I have to go."

Before the teenager could say anything more, another sound tore through the air.

The front door opening and closing.

Then the living room door pretty much caved in.

Everyone was already standing as the door rattled on its hinges and came to a stop. The new figure was a man of about thirty. Tall and muscular, built like a mercenary and dressed like one too, he stood, almost taking up the entire frame of the doorway. He was dressed the way he always was, complete with magical-killing gear, black jeans, biker boots and his trade mark red suede leather jacket with flaring tails like something out of a demon-mercenary handbook. He was imposing to say the very least. A look of narcissism was already on his strikingly handsome face as he cast vivid steel blue eyes over the occupants of the room, sweeping back his snow white jaw length hair, before shouldering the biggest, baddest, most kick-ass sword the occupants had ever seen. He was daunting and magnificent – and everyone couldn't help but gaze in stunned awe.

The man grinned and ticked off a salute. "Hey,"

Beside Harry, Krysta let out the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding.

"Dante."

Then she was in his arms. Dante didn't register how they had passed the air in between; he didn't even notice how he had instantly dropped Rebellion to catch her.

But here she was. Her slender form enveloped in his arms; holding her tightly, scared to death to ever let her go again. Like so many times before, he noticed just how naturally she fit into his arms, like she was had always meant to be right here.

Dante felt her arms around his neck, holding him just as tightly, those delicate fingers lacing through his hair, holding him the way no other woman had ever done before or will ever again. He drank in her warmth, her blossomy scent, feeling her wonderfully slender form pressed against his body as her silken hair flowed through his fingers.

Their eyes closed, they stood there for a long moment in their embrace; holding onto each other as if they hadn't been allowed to touch in a thousand years.

Around them, the others watched the beautiful embrace.

"Who is he?" Hermione whispered in awe.

Beside her, Mr Weasley just smiled and glanced at the other adults.

Finally, the couple drew apart.

"Before you say anything," Dante said quickly holding up his hands in total surrender. "I can totally explain."

Lupin and Sirius exchanged knowing glances.

The newcomer flashed them a sarcastic look then turned back to Krysta. "Everting's fine. Charlie let me borrow Norbert and the dragon's still blowing stuff up at the Death Eaters – he's fine too. I switched the perception filter to him and I left the Death Eaters running scared." Dante smiled as he gazed down into Krysta's eyes. "Everything is fine, I promise. I just had to see you."

He drew back to allow the girl to speak – but she couldn't.

Out of knowhere, Dante held out a tiny little cupcake with the number 25 written in pink icing on the top.

"Happy birthday, beloved."

Krysta gasped in delight, incredibly happy. "Dante…"

"It's your birthday, Krysta. I wanted to be with you." Dante told her. "So I destroyed a whole village of dark wizards to create a distraction – aren't I so romantic?"

"Awww," Hermione murmured, her hands pressed to her heart. "That's so sweet."

"So sweet." Mrs Weasley said, also feeling her heart flutter at the scene.

Dante grinned. "You have to forgive me now. I've won over every woman in the room."

Krysta took the cupcake and kissed him on the cheek. "You're always forgiven, Dante." She looked up at him. "You could have just used the phone, though. Is this the only reason you made the giant distraction?"

"Of course, what other reason is there?" Dante laughed. "Norbert needed some fun too. There's barely any bad guys in Romania and he was bored. Charlie wanted me to take the Horntail too, but even I thought that was overkill. I set a trail leading to Iceland and a secondary one to Wales so no one knows we're here." He looked at her, his steel blue eyes sparkling hopefully as he caught her hand. "Are you pleased to see me?"

"I'm always pleased to see you, Dante." Krysta said warmly. "Even when you scare the life out of me."

The huge, imposing man's china white cheeks dusted pink as she held up the rembrall.

"I can explain." Dante said quickly. He ran a hand through his hair, embarrassed and quickly snatched the rembrall back and hid it in his trench coat. "I forgot I sent it."

Krysta burst out laughing.

Dante grinned. "I was gonna come yesterday and surprise you," he told her. "I sent the damn thing to come to me today to remind me it's your birthday. Then…I forgot about it. And setting the trails and sorting out Norbert took longer than I thought."

Finally, Krysta turned back to the large audience still watching the two of them. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone, it looks like a false alarm."

Before her, Harry stared up at the newcomer in a mix of idolisation and welcomed awe. "Who are you?"

"This is Dante." Krysta introduced them. She glanced at the young man beside her. "Dante, this is Harry, my little brother, and his friends Hermione and Ron."

Dante laughed and held out a hand.

Harry almost fell over under his strong handshake.

"Great to meet you, kiddo," Dante said. "Been hearing about you for years."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, my girl loves you to bits."

Harry smiled.

"Are you like Krysta's boyfriend or something?" Ron asked as he hid the cringe from his handshake.

Dante smiled. "Something like that." He drew the boy closer. "Whoa, you don't half look like Charlie and Bill, kid."

Ron grinned back. "Thanks."

The elder man turned to Hermione. "And you must be the smart girl that drags their backsides out of trouble, am I right? Pleased to meet you, sweet cheeks."

Hermione tried very hard not to be flustered as the gorgeous man kissed her knuckles, but it was extremely difficult. Mrs Weasley felt that way too when he kissed her on the cheek in greeting.

He turned to the older men as they gave him a welcoming hug. "Sirius – you don't look dead anymore, it's a good look for you."

Sirius laughed and shook his hand. "Azkaban's finally forgotten, that's why. Long time no see, Dante."

"It's great to see you," Mr Weasley agreed. "You and Krysta seem to be getting on very well."

"I think so too, Arty."

"We should so get a drink when this is all over." Lupin said with a laugh. He glanced around the room. "Actually, let's all have a drink now, after all, it is Krysta's birthday."

"Yes!"

"We must!"

"Why didn't you say anything, Krysta?" Hermione asked as Mrs Weasley busied herself with the brandy and pumpkin juice.

"I almost forgot myself." Krysta said as she and teenagers sank into the sofas. "With everything going on, I didn't think about it."

"So you're twenty-five today?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I'm getting on a bit, huh?"

"Nah," Dante said scooping up his sword and leaning her against the wall before perching o the arm beside his girl. "You're still that beautiful girl that kicked me through a mountain and into a tree."

" _What_?"

Dante glanced at his lover. "You didn't tell them about us yet?"

Krysta shook her head. "It's been a bit of a wild twenty-four hours. I've just about explain how we're related."

"How did you guys meet?" Harry asked curiously.

"I bet Dante rescued you from something." Ron said

"Nu-uh, I bet she saved him." Hermione said, casting a glare at Ron. "Krysta's clearly capable. Why should she need to be saved?"

Krysta laughed. "Wrong on both counts, I'm afraid. We were trying to kill each other."

"What? Why?" Harry exclaimed.

"Just a bit of bad luck, I guess." Dante replied. "I was staying out of the limelight; I'm always being hunted and I just wanted a few days of peace and quiet, so I travelled to the wild moors of the Lake District, and there she was." he smiled as those lovely steel blue eyes roved over the young woman. "The prettiest girl I'd ever seen – and she was casting magic to build a house. She was clearly a bounty hunter, so I thought I'd send her packing."

Krysta laughed and pushed him away. "I've never seen you look so shocked when I kicked your ass." she shook her head as the teenagers stared at her in awe. "I was hiding out too. I needed a break away from being hunted, so I was building a cabin to get some peace far away from magical people and muggles. Then Dante showed up and I thought he was a bounty hunter too."

"Cue massive fight, several acres of beautiful land destroyed and then she kicked me through a mountain and into a tree." Dante frowned at her. "You know, you still haven't apologised for kicking my ass back then."

Krysta raised an eyebrow at him. "You haven't either – and I was there first. You attacked me while I was building a house; I didn't even know you were there." He grinned. "So when you attacked, I handed you your backside on a silver platter."

Dante made a face at her making the teenagers laugh too.

"Arguing already?" Lupin said holding a tray full of drinks to the group.

"Debating, Uncle Remus." Krysta said with a smile. She looked at Dante again. "I'll apologise when you apologise for my cupcake."

"The cupcake?"

Krysta held up the tiny cake and swiftly turned it around.

The teenagers burst out laughing.

There was a bite already missing.

"It was like that when I bought it." Dante said instantly.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Mrs Weasley shook her head as she sat down with her husband on the opposite sofa. "For goodness sake, Dante. Couldn't you wait to share it with her, dear?"

"Honestly, it was like that when I bought it." Dante maintained. "It was."

"Dante." Sirius said warningly.

"It was." Dante said again. "Honest. I don't know how the bite got there."

Mrs Weasley sighed. "Seriously? You're sticking with that story?"

"Only cos I can't think of a better one."

Krysta just had to kiss him on the cheek for that.

Then she saw the teenagers' looks. "You'll understand him soon enough. Dante's got a good heart, but he likes to bury it real deep under all that bravado and cockiness."

Harry smiled. "He seems to really care about you, Krysta, to make up such a ridiculous excuse."

"Agreed." Lupin put in.

"Hey," Dante said. "Don't spread that around, I've got a rep to keep up, you know."

Taking up seats around the living room, Sirius held up his brandy glass and smiled at the several occupants of his house. "It had been a very long time since so many people I cared about were in my house and I am extremely happy to host all of you today." He chuckled warmly. "To my old friends, my godchildren and new young friends, I toast you all in honour of Krysta's birthday. Even in the current dire circumstances, let this be one of several new happy times yet to come."

"Here, here!" Mr Weasley exclaimed.

"Here, here!" Repeated the others.


	7. Chapter 7

"I think this is one of those times you kids really shouldn't eavesdrop."

Startled, the teenagers glanced back at Mr Weasley from where they all clustered at the front windows.

"We were just curious, Dad." Ron said, blushing. "Dante couldn't stay any longer cos he has to maintain the diversions so Krysta can stay a few more days."

Hermione glanced out the window again and watched as Dante held Krysta so lovingly, all of his bravado vanishing to show his true loving self just to her. The way he held her close looked like he never wanted to let go ever again.

"They love each other so much." She murmured.

Mr Weasley sighed deeply. "Yes, they have a wonderful relationship. They are nomadic together, but so often apart. They are so lucky to have found such kindred spirits in each other. Krysta must miss her husband so very much at times like this."

It took him a moment to realise the teenagers were staring at him, wide-eyed.

"Krysta and Dante are married?" Harry asked.

Mr Weasley nodded. "Oh yes. They've been together for five years and married for three. Bill and Charlie served as best men at their tiny wedding and Remus gave her away. They are still very, very happy." He sighed deeply. "Krysta had been so lonely for such a long time, unable to stay anywhere for more than a few months before moving on. I can't imagine how difficult it's been for her. Especially knowing you were here, Harry, and not being able to tell you who she was. The amount of times we caught her just watching you must've been running into the hundreds."

Harry gave a small smile. "Yes, I know."

Hermione pressed a hand to her heart. "I can't imagine how painful that was. I don't even want to think about what it would be like if Mum and Dad didn't know who I was."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. He cocked his head to one side. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be an only child, but I couldn't bear to lose my siblings, no matter how much they annoy me."

Mr Weasley chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "It would be nice to hear you say that to them, my boy."

"Hell no."

The older man laughed with the teenagers and left to join the other men in the study.

Harry rested his head against the cool window pane and watched his sister. She had been right; it had been a roller-coaster of twenty-four hours and packed with so much new info he could barely comprehend it all. But one fact blazed through stronger then everything else he had learned so far.

"I have a big sister." He whispered. "And a brother-in-law."

Beside him, Ron and Hermione smiled and watched the scene outside too. They grinned as both Dante and Krysta turned to them, completely aware of their spying. Then, the couple kissed lovingly and Dante ticked off a salute to the kids, shouldered his giant sword and disparated in a plume of black smoke.

"That is the most awesome looking sword." Ron remarked.

"That's the most awesome looking man." Hermione said. She blinked, startled at herself. Even she didn't realise the words had tumbled from her lips. "Oh, um, sword, I meant sword."

Harry stifled a giggle as Ron's green eyes blazed.

"What d'you mean, 'awesome-looking'?" He demanded.

"Nothing." The girl said quickly. "Dante's just…well, he's a freaking knock-out, isn't he? And that sword is also gigantic – he looks so strong, but how does he even carry it?"

Harry grabbed Ron's arm before he could explode.

"Her name's Rebellion."

The teenagers glanced behind them as Krysta took a seat on the soda. "Dante's much stronger than he looks and father made the sword for him. Rebellion is incredibly powerful."

"Awesome." Ron said again.

Harry glanced up with a smile, already pleased to see his sister as she joined them. "Are you okay, Krysta?"

The young woman nodded. "I'm fine. Dante's gone to round up Norbert and take him back to Romania. I imagine him and Charlie are going to drink the rest of the night away after that." She chuckled softly. "Dante and Charlie are pretty routine – that's the problem with having a guy best friend, the endless betting on who can drink the most."

"That's so ridiculous." Hermione said shaking her head.

"That's boys for you. Harry and Ron will be the same, I bet you anything." She smiled as the teenagers blushed. "Boys never really grow up; they just get better at arguing. And louder at it."

Her amber eyes glistened as she held up her birthday cupcake. "How about a little snack before bed?"

"Ooo, yes please!" Ron said excitedly.

"Same here." Harry added. He laughed seeing the bite mark in the cupcake again. "I can't believe Dante took a bite out of it before he gave it to you."

"He didn't do it on purpose." Krysta explained. "His hands were full riding Norbert, so he put the cupcake in his mouth and the dragon bucked."

Hermione frowned. "That doesn't sound very likely."

"Which is why it's probably true." Krysta told her. "We attract so much danger and general weirdness, so it's probably exactly what happened."

She opened her palm and allowed the cupcake to glide up in mid-air, her palm shimmering ever-so-lightly with white sparkles. Then she waved her other hand across it. after a shimmer of white light, the tiny cake sliced itself into eight sections, four of which glided to each of the onlookers.

"Happy birthday, Krysta." Harry said holding up his tiny slice.

"Happy birthday!" The other teenagers chorused.

Together, they devoured the cake slice. A symphony of flavour filled their mouths, slipping over their tongues like ambrosia. Despite the tiny size, the slice of cake was sweet and buttery and incredibly filling and satisfying.

"God, that's good." Ron sighed happily. He sank back into the sofa. "I'm stuffed."

"Very sweet too." Krysta agreed. "I'm inclined to believe Dante even more now. He doesn't like sweets much. He ate a whole bite of the cupcake."

The others agreed.

Sweeping off the crumbs, Krysta sent the cupcake over to the coffee table for the others to have a slice and stood up.

"Anyway, it's getting late. You kids should go to bed." She told them. "I'm gonna head back to the Leaky Cauldron for the night."

"That's where you're staying?" Harry asked.

His sister nodded. "I trust Dante to keep the diversion going, but I don't like tempting fate, so I can't stay here with you, Harry, but I'll be back tomorrow." She reached out and cupped his face in her hands. "You are still recuperating; rest and stay resting if you need it. You have all your memories back now, so you know I'm always here."

Harry smiled back. "I know."

She kissed him on the forehead and then picked up her parka again. "The others are discussing some new info that's come through the Order spies in the study, so don't interrupt them okay? Don't eavesdrop either – you're safe, so let the adults do their job. Just go to bed. Dumbledore is coming by tomorrow to check on things and the spells as well, so behave yourselves. Be lazy teenagers and go to bed, got it?"

"Got it." The boys chorused.

"I'll make sure they do, Krysta." Hermione said.

Krysta smiled. "I always knew I could rely on you."

With one last hug from them all, the teenagers watched Krysta leave the house and then headed up to bed – defiantly ignoring the hushed whispers from the study as they did so.

"So," Ron said as he lay down on his bed. "What's it like having a sister, Harry?"

Harry grinned. "It's awesome."

"Just wait till she starts nicking all your stuff and usurping your position as favourite." Ron grinned. "You'll see what it's really like having a cuter-than-you-sister."

"I'll still think it's awesome."

Hermione laughed as she kneeled on Harry's bed. "It's so good to see you happy, Harry. God knows there hasn't been much to be happy about."

"I guess it's been easy to forget there's a super powerful dark wizard trying to kill us all and take over the world." Harry lay back on his bed. "I'm beginning to think we should just stay in Sirius's house forever."

Ron laughed. "Yeah, seems like the best idea so far. Especially if Krysta's perception field can be held up anywhere." He relaxed into his pillow. "Let's just stay here forever."

Hermione couldn't help but smile as the boys snuggled into their beds. As irritating and annoyingly boy-like as they could be, she really did love them to bits when they were being adorable like this.

"Sleep, you two." She said, standing up from Harry's bed. "See you in the morning – and no sneaking around. Just sleep – Krysta's orders."

"Yes, ma'am." Harry replied, already half-asleep.

"Yes, ma'am." Ron murmured.

Chuckling to herself, Hermione flicked off the lights and closed the door behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

There was so much noise, it was increasingly difficult to hold onto the wonderfully healing deep sleep.

Bleary and now annoyed, Harry forced his eyes open. Dragging his senses back to reality, he waited for the familiar shapes of the ceiling to mould back – but it was still dark in the room. It wasn't morning yet.

Still half-asleep, Harry turned over onto his side. He could hear increasingly loud voices coming from downstairs and filtering up to him as they grew more and more anxious.

Something deep and cold rang.

Instantly awake, Harry bolted upright and grabbed his glasses.

The voices were still there, high and frantic and getting even more alarmed as the seconds passed.

Harry's hand shot out to the other bed. "Ron, wake up!"

There was nothing there but the cool sheets.

Then the bedroom door silently opened.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed. Kneeling in the darkened doorway, she beckoned the other teenager towards her. "Come on!"

Scrambling out of the sheets, Harry stumbled over to the door and half-fell out of the room and onto the landing.

Ron grabbed him before he could make any more noise and dragged him to the landing banisters.

"What's going on?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Something's happened." Hermione told him. "But we don't know what. There's just suddenly all this noise. I came to see and found Ron here."

"All the yelling woke me up." Ron explained. "I was hoping Dad and the others had just got a bit merry with the brandy, but this sounds much worse."

Harry peered through the banisters to the hallway below. There was no one there, but all the doors appeared to be open. There were several of the house's occupant's voices, all talking excitedly and all at once so he couldn't make out what they were saying. Underneath it all, the TV in the living room was on as well, the BBC newscaster talking excitedly about something and blending into the rest of the noise.

"Something's clearly happened." Hermione said, unable to hide the note of dread in her voice.

"We shouldn't interfere though, should we?" Ron said. "We're safe and the Order are dealing, right?"

Harry knew he was right. His sister's words even echoed through his mind, but he couldn't quite shake the deep, cold sensation he was getting.

"Is there another TV up here?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "God, of course – there's one in my room. Maybe it works."

As silently as they could, the teenagers stole back into the bedroom and closed the door.

Two minutes later, it felt like the world had vanished beneath Harry's feet.

On the screen, the huge blaze tore through London's east end, decimating shops, houses and collapsing buildings in its wake. The devastation of the terrorist attack was so huge, it was being covered by every muggle news channel.

"The East End." Ron said, his eyes wide. "That's were Diagon Alley is."

Hermione's breath caught. "You don't think…"

The temperature of the room dropped to zero.

" _Harry_!"

In a heartbeat, Harry was back in his room, ignoring the call of his name. His breath came in short, stunted gasps as the deep cold fear gripped his very soul tight. He didn't understand how the potency of the instant terror affected him so vehemently, but it cancelled out every single other thought in his very being save one; fine her.

Grabbing his jeans, he pulled off his Pjs, not caring that both Hermione and Ron had bolted in after him, and struggled into his clothes.

"Harry!" Hermione said, quickly spinning around as the other shed his clothes. "It could just be a muggle attack. There's no evidence it's got anything to do with our world."

"So, it's just coincidence, is it?" Harry replied, running a hand through his wild locks and pulling on his boots. "The East End gets savaged and everyone is freaking out downstairs at two in the morning?"

The girl stopped, unable to defend that one.

"Harry, where're you going?!" Ron demanded.

"Downstairs." Harry said, grabbing his wand.

"Why do you need your wand downstairs?" Hermione said fearfully.

Harry surged past them both without an answer. Dashing across the hallway, he half ran-half stumbled down the stairs.

He skidded to a halt just outside the study.

At the rectangular table, Sirius looked up, his palm still planted on the now-cracked table top with Lupin grasping his shoulder. Beside him, Mr Weasley had been holding a hand to his mouth in shock as Mrs Weasley wept into his shoulder.

For a long moment, everyone froze.

Slowly, the reality of how each of the adults were acting sunk in.

"No." Harry whispered.

Then, Sirius reached out to his godson. "Harry -,"

Harry shook his head and backed away into Hermione and Ron behind him. Every fibre of his very being was searing with excruciating pain as he looked from one distraught face to the other. His heart raced out of control, making his head spin sickeningly fast.

The instant grief took over so quickly so relentlessly, he could barely breathe. Vivid azure blue eyes stared, wide and filled with tears at the adults.

"No." He said again.

"It's only been a few minutes." Mr Weasley told him desperately, stepping closer to the teenager. "The attack was so quick; the rest of the Order are on their way to Diagon Alley."

"We don't know anything yet, Harry." Lupin said, trying and failing to keep the distress out of his voice. "Dumbledore is heading there as well. He will find her."

"Sweetheart," Mrs Weasley tried, reaching out to him too. "Harry, dear, we don't know anything at all, please try to stay calm –,"

Harry didn't wait for any more.

" _Harry_!"

People were screaming his name now, but didn't even register it. That one need blazed through his very soul, forsaking all others. Before even he knew what he was doing, he was in the back garden, racing to the end fence as he pulled his parka on.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed.

"Harry stop!" Ron yelled, the horrific realisation of what he was going to do surging through him – and knowing full well it wouldn't stop his friend.

Harry didn't hear them.

He raised a hand high above his head.

"Buckbeak!"

With a great squawk of alarm, the huge creature jolted awake and unfurled his wings, startled. Those massive yellow eagle eyes focussed on Harry running towards him as the beast stood up.

"Buckbeak!" Harry called again, ignoring the increased yelling behind him. "Krysta's in trouble – take me to her!"

With another supreme squawk, Buckbeak reared back on his powerful hind legs and beat his wings hard. In a mighty beat of his wings, the hippogriff was airborne and swooping towards Harry had lightning speed.

Before anyone could stop him, Harry grasped the creature's harness and swung onto the saddle before vanishing into the night sky.

On the ground, the family gathered together.

"Oh god," Hermione exclaimed, tears streaming down her cheeks as hysteria took over. "He's gonna get himself killed!"

"The attack is still going!" Mr Weasley stated, just as alarmed. He whirled around to the others. "We must get to Diagon Alley before Harry gets hurt!"

"Agreed!" Lupin shouted, already dashing back inside. "Come on! We must join the rest of the Order – switch Sirius!"

"Molly, take care of the kids!" Mr Weasley shouted following the others.

"No!" Ron shouted. "Harry's my friend, I have to help him!"

Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him back. "We'll be killed too, Ron, and they need to focus on getting Harry back!"

Mrs Weasley pulled the teenagers in to a tight hug. "It'll be okay, dears. It will be okay."

Then they were alone.

Unable to stem the tears flooding out, Hermione sobbed into Mrs Weasley's shirt, her whole body shaking with grief. Frozen in shock, Ron did the only thing he could to comfort her; he held her hand.

"No," Ron whispered, shaking his head. "This doesn't happen. It can't be happening. This isn't fair."

"Ron-," Mrs Weasley said, pulling her son close.

"This isn't fair," the teenager said again, the distress finally pouring out in one great surge. "Harry can't find happiness then have it ripped away – this isn't fair!"

"Shhh..."

The teenagers clung to the older woman like distraught children. After a long moment, she took them both inside and, together, they waited for news.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry's lungs burned as the black smoke clogged them up. He coughed and coughed – he couldn't stop. His grip on Buckbeak faltering, he wrapped his arms around the beast's harness and choked.

There was so much smoke, he couldn't make anything out anymore. Every direction was nothing but pitch and aching soot that tied up his lungs.

Unable to speak, Harry dug his fingers into Buckbeak's feathers.

The huge creature squawked in annoyance, then realised his rider was slipping off of him. Folding back his wings, he slowed his flightpath and pulled back, dragging the two of them out of the black could.

It took a few moments for the haze to clear before Harry regained his senses. He pushed himself up, finally noticing that he had fallen from the hippogriff's back and onto a gravelly rooftop.

Buckbeak squawked at him again, anxiously nudging him with his head in a clumsy attempt to help him stand.

"I'm alright, Buckbeak." Harry said, stumbling as the hacking cough carved up his lungs.

Staggering to the roof's edge, he looked down.

His heart stopped.

Diagon Alley was ablaze. The parts he could see were filled with flames licking out of shops and homes, exploding randomly and billowing out toxic black smoke into the streets and taking over the sky in a menacing black cloud that blocked out all light.

And right there, overlooking it all, was the Dark Mark.

Harry's blood ran cold.

"Oh god…"

Down below him, dozens of people were screaming and running from the fire. Wizards and witches wildly threw spells and charms, trying to protect themselves whilst trying to escape and panic at the same time. Several ran into blind alleys, several more dashed straight into the smoke, others into blazing buildings. On the ground, visibility was so low, no one knew how to save themselves.

Harry's heart jolted as he followed the famous road down to the building he was standing on the roof of. His mind suddenly ablaze too, he turned away and ran to the opposite side, skidding to a halt at the edge.

A completely clear alleyway.

"Buckbeak!" Harry called. "Does the smoke affect you as much as people?"

The huge creature squawked and shook his head.

Harry ran back to the other side of the roof and pointed to the currently untouched buildings opposite the huge smoke cloud almost a mile down the road. "Take me over there, then turn around!"

In a flash, he was on the beast's back again and then holding on for dear life as Buckbeak whirled around in mid-air on the other side of the cloud.

"Beat your wings, Buckbeak!" Harry called. "They can't see you, but you can thrust the people to the building we were on before! There's a way out there! Beat your wings! Show them how powerful you are! Make everyone run back to the safe alleyway!"

Harry held on as the creature reared back, his squawks turning to roars as the hippogriff's full strength was unleashed. Swooping down low into the alley, Buckbeak beat his wings hard and fast, sweeping the panicking people away from the burning buildings and back towards the exit on the other side.

Relieved, Harry swung his legs over the side of the harness as the creature swooped down again, making several people scream and duck.

Buckbeak's roars turned higher pitch as if confused, feeling the teenager's weight vanish from his back and swung his huge head back toward him.

The teenager cringed as he finally came to a tumbling stop.

"Keep going!" Harry called to the hippogriff. "Save them all!" He achingly picked himself up from where he had hit the cobblestones and waved the hippogriff away as he swept back for him. "I have to find Krysta!" Harry called to Buckbeak. "I'm fine – go! Save the people!"

Buckbeak bowed his head in reverence, then swooped back again towards the screaming people.

Harry faltered, once more coughing up his lungs as the smoke surrounded him. He ducked as the store front of Ollivander's exploded outwards, dozens of sharp glass shards only just missing him.

Pulling his sleeve down, he pressed the fabric to his mouth and nose and raced through the empty streets. He pulled out his wand as his eyes began to water and blur, the back noxious smoke quickly and effectively tearing up his lungs and blinding him.

Forcing his voice to work, he cast spell after spell, sweeping away the soot from him so he could breathe and illuminate the path to see where he was going. He passed the trunk shop, still on fire and blazing out of control and saw where it had caught from, the still smouldering husk that was once an exotic deli.

Harry choked and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses, trying to remember the where he was. he had passed Ollivander's, then the trunk shop, now the deli – the school robes shop must have been next.

Sure enough, there it was – right next to the on-fire Leaky Cauldron.

Adrenaline bursting through him, Harry burst through the hanging open doors and stumbled straight into a pile of broken tables and chairs – but they weren't burned. He staggered back and stared in shock.

There were charred parts of the pub, but it was mostly damaged as if a huge brawl had taken place. All the furniture was broken, the chandelier that held 300 years of dust on in was in a thousand pieces over the savaged pub counter along with the several bottles of questionable alcohol that Hagrid often spoke of.

Harry heart thudded.

 _It is definitely not just a muggle attack…_

Then his mind finally comprehended the full extent of what he could see.

Death.

So much death.

Harry's heart pounded out of control. It skipped random beats, sending the most sickening jots through his whole body.

Body after body dressed in dark robes stared at him, frozen in fury and anguish at the moment death had struck. Blood splattered over the broken tables and smeared over the floor. Twisted and shattered bones lay in awkward positions, churning his stomach by the sight of them.

His breath turned to short, ragged pants. Cold sweat broke out his skin and he started to shake.

 _Oh god…_

Harry stumbled backwards over an upturned chair, jolting him out of the spiralling terror. Scrambling up, he grabbed the damaged banister and hauled himself up.

Then saw something that pulled back his resolve from the brink of blind panic.

" _Happy birthday_!" was written on the chalkboard behind the bar.

 _Krysta._

Instantly, his senses came back. His mind automatically blocking out the terrifying memories, Harry dashed up the stairs and into the landing. The Leaky Cauldron was a great inn to stay at, small, but cosy and with limited magically-stretched rooms so it was never overcrowded. It made it a lot easier to look for somebody.

"Krysta!" Harry called, grabbing the first handle and barging into the room.

It was empty and seemingly untouched. So were the next three.

"Krysta! Where are you!?" Harry cried, crashing through two more rooms and finding them on fire.

Finally, he shouldered the door into the last room at the end of the corridor. The appeared to have been attempted to be barricaded, but someone had smashed through before Harry had done. But when he barged in, the room was empty except for…

Harry slowly picked up the parka jacket lying on the floor by the window.

It was torn in half.

And filled with lambs' wool stuffing.

His heart pounding, Harry followed the trail to the window and gazed out.

From here, he could see everything. The entire street of Diagon Alley on fire. Most people were gone now thanks to Buckbeak, now squawking quite far away. The destruction and rubble of the still blazing buildings and smouldering homes making the view more like the aftermath of the Blitz than a mere terrorist attack – but there was something else that he saw that made his very soul freeze.

The dark cloud of billowing smoke surrounded him; it surrounded the Leaky Cauldron and Harry was in the eye of the storm. His blood turning to ice in his veins, he stared stunned at the epic battle raging overhead.

God knows how he missed it when Buckbeak had swooped through only minutes ago to get to the opposite side, but he couldn't miss it now. The streets were empty, but the skies were crowded like a battlefield in hell itself.

Magical backlash from spell after spell sparked across the pitch-black sky. Dark robed Death Eaters and terrifying Dementors swarmed and pivoted in mid-air using magic or broomsticks, aiming deadly curses one after another at the Order trying to fend them off against impossible odds.

There were only seven or eight of the Order against dozens of Death Eaters – they were never going to win.

They were outnumbered. And so was Krysta.

Harry's heart thudded as he saw his sister high in the middle of the cloud surrounded by Dark Wizards. In the confusion of the smoke and magical backlash, he couldn't see much but a silhouette and her long dark hair, but he knew without a doubt it was her – and dozens of Dementors were swooping straight for her.

Panic finally taking control, harry gazed up at her scared out of his mind.

"KRYSTA!"

Then all hell really broke loose.

Every set of eyes cast down – and sent a barrage of spells at him.

Harry cried out as the wall collapsed under the onslaught, the floor vanishing as an almighty shudder seared through the building. Twisting around in mid-air, his fingers caught one of the iron rebars and wrenched his arm painfully as his descent abruptly stopped.

Forcing away the pain, Harry, reached up his other hand and held on tight. then he really wished he hadn't looked down. The ground was dizzyingly long way down from him.

Spells and curses once more launched at him. Struggling to keep his grip, he pulled out his wand and deflected and attacked, trying wildly to defend himself and hold onto dear life at the same time.

"Hang on, Harry!" Yelled a familiar voice.

His grip failing, the teenager desperately tried to see through the black smoke once more clogging up his lungs, but it was next to impossible.

Suddenly an arm wrapped around his waist.

"Let go!"

Harry let go. with a sharp cry, he fell onto a broomstick and automatically grasped the slender handle.

"Tonks!" He exclaimed in relief seeing the purple hair fluttering before his eyes.

Tonks glanced behind her and grinned. "Hang on kiddo!"

Harry was almost sick again.

In a whirlwind of flight and curses, Tonks flew like a Quidditch Pro, but even she couldn't hold off the horde now aiming for the teenager. Letting fly spell after spell, Harry didn't even notice the head on collision she set up.

"Head's up, Harry!" she yelled.

Harry almost had a heart attack – but threw out his hand regardless.

"Gotcha!" Hagrid bellowed, hauling the teenager up onto Norbert's back.

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed in relief.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Hagrid yelled, gripping the boy tight as the dragon roared and bucked, sending the two of them into a stomach-churning spin high into the smoke cloud.

"Krysta!" Harry shouted back. "I had find Krysta!"

"You needn't worry about her, Harry!"

"But, Hagrid -!"

"Look up!"

Automatically, Harry did.

And everything stopped.

At the top of the billowing smoke cloud surrounded by biblical lightening illuminating the pitch black with each savage strike was Krysta. She glided high above, surrounded by a swarm of twenty Death Eaters casting forbidden curse after forbidden curse…

…and she was deflecting them away.

But that wasn't the most incredible thing about her.

The beautiful girl he had come so far to know as his big sister was suspended high up on the winds, commanding lightning and magic around her in a mix of brilliant light and sparkling white magical essence – and soaring on the most incredible white-feathered wings.

Harry watched in awe as Krysta's wings flexed with the elements, effortlessly guiding her through the billowing smoke like a nimble bird flitting in between the falling snowflakes instead of being buried in the drifts.

White magic streamed out of her palms, twirling and sashaying around her, dancing in mid-air as she took out Death Eater after Death Eater with barely any effort at all.

It was such an amazing sight, Harry forgot to breathe.

Then he realised, she wasn't alone.

Around her dancing white magics, deep red magics sparked around hers. Contrasting, yet adoringly surrounding her magics, emanating from…

A terrifying roar surged through the air, chilling Harry to the bone in the most exhilarating way.

Dante vaulted high in the sky, Rebellion gripped in both hands, charging like a mercenary out for revenge as he swung the deadly blade.

Screams sounded as Death Eater and Dementor alike burst into nothing but blood and gore and dust. His red trench coat tails flaring, he vaulted onto a discarded broom to building to enemy, launching himself high in the sky to tear down the invading force one by one under the devastating power of his sword. Harry watched in awe as he caught his wife's waiting hand and she swung him high up into the clouds.

Almost relishing the fight, Dante soared into the smoke and casting endless red shots of blood-red magics as he fought off the hordes of Dementors that had followed him, leaving Krysta to deal with the Death Eaters.

"Sometimes I think Dante enjoys doing this!" Hagrid yelled, pulling back on Norbert's reins.

"Hagrid!" Mad-Eye Moody called, blasting two dark wizards without even looking. "Get that boy out of here, NOW!"

It was too late.

It was like the world had erupted.

Norbert shrieked as he tumbled backwards under the apple grenade's furious impact, smashing into the building behind. Between his flailing limbs, Harry fell into the abyss below, his own screams drowned out under the dragon's cries.

Then there was an arm around him and he was pulled into a warm, safe embrace. He looked up at Hagrid – but the half-giant wasn't looking at him, he was looking up too.

Around his other wrist, outstretched above him, a thick shimmering red chain was wrapped tight and pulled taut.

Harry's breath caught. High above them, Krysta wrenched back on the magical chain, beating her wings to counteract their weight and slow their descent as the dragon thrashed past them and plummeted straight through the building below before smashing like an earthquake into the ground. Determined, familiar eyes locked onto her brother's and he finally saw it.

Krysta's eyes were glistening pure white. The rich, vivid amber irises were gone, instead shimmering with pure white magic that burst out of the girl, seeped through her magnificent wings and danced around her at her command like a goddess in the sky.

But the magical chain she was holding was blood-red and glistening. On another rooftop, Dante held his palm out, Rebellion gripped tight in the other, as his magics streamed out of him to forge the spell. He was casting the chain and Krysta was holding it tight, working together to save the two of them.

Harry stared in absolute awe.

 _You guys really are married…_

"Behind you!" Hagrid bellowed.

Then they were falling again.

The heavy chains Krysta had caught them with plunged to the ground thirty metres below them and exploded back into raw blood red magics, but it definitely wasn't going to cushion the hit. Harry felt Hagrid hold onto him tight as the ground rose up terrifyingly fast, whipping the cold winds straight through them both. Holding the teenager securely, Hagrid braced himself for a messy but ultimately safe landing.

It didn't happen.

"NO!" Harry cried.

The teenager froze in dread as he was snatched away. The iron grip on his arm sent him soaring back into the sky at incomprehensible speed leaving Hagrid alone on the ground to drag his bruised self up and vainly reach out for him.

Harry gasped as the Death Eater roughly wrenched his already sore arm and jerked him onto the broom. Before he could react, a slender but strong hand wrapped around his throat.

"You're mine now, baby boy." The woman's voice sneered under the skull mask as she let go of the broom to clamp both hands around the boy's neck. "The Dark Lord would love your skin to wear."

Harry coughed and choked as her fingers tightened. He scrabbled desperately at the grip, but it was no use. Whoever she was, she was much stronger than him. His vision blurred as they reeled into the dark cloud again. The Death Eater's laugher rung in his ears, becoming higher pitched and screeching as his blood and air cut off leaving nothing but the merciless darkness closing in on him.

He had to do something – anything.

There was only one thing left. Harry pulled his hands away from hers, letting her grip cut of his breath and blood altogether and grabbed for his wand.

The magical backlash of the spell going wrong was all he needed. The Death Eater's fading screech tore through his head as the grip around his throat vanished, casting her away into the smoke. Beneath him, the broom flailed out of control, unable to take the brunt of the power. It bucked, throwing the teenager backwards, then snapped in half.

The handle of the broomstick smashed into the back of his head.

Pain exploded. The tiniest sound escaped Harry's lips. Every fibre of his being seared. His head pounded, sending wave after wave of agony through his whole body like electrical bolts as is heart skipped beats, unable to work under such trauma.

Barely conscious, the pain, the oxygen deprivation and the head trauma didn't even register anymore.

He didn't even realise he was falling.

Vaguely, he felt someone grabbing at him, but missed. Then again and again. He was pulled and snatched at, but he kept falling. The winds rushed past faster and faster, but none of it registered.

The blood loss was too fast for a teenage body to counteract.

He didn't notice his descent slow under the powerful spell that surrounded him.

"Hang on, Harry." Dumbledore said, gently laying the boy down on the high roof top as he controlled the winds that carried him. "It'll be alright."

The wizard whirled around the moment, the boy was on the ground and pointed his wand high above him.

The Patronus charm burst out in a white glow, rising in the shape of a phoenix so large, it encompassed the whole building. Wave after wave ebbed out and frightened the hordes of Dementors desperately reaching for the teenager now semi-conscious and defenceless at the great wizard's feet.

Harry watched, blue eyes glazing over, as the Dementors turned to run, only to turn back again the moment they were out of range of Dumbledore's Patronus. Then Dante happily took over.

Unable to keep the delighted grin from his face, Dante sated his lust. Once more, Rebellion sang and the Dementors screamed. Almost wanting to laugh in pleasure, he slashed and punched, kicked and danced in mid-air vaulting from building to building in impossible bounds, fighting alongside his graceful wife gliding on the high winds a casting pure white magic around her like an all-powerful angel, fuelling the rest of the Order taking flank.

 _God…Krysta really looks like an angel…_

 _An angel surrounded by enemies._

"Get up, Harry!"

Harry felt his arms being grabbed and he was hauled to his feet. Dumbledore faltered as the boy collapsed again, quickly catching him before he hit the ground.

"Harry?" The old man's heart jolted as he raised gripped the boy and cupped his face in his free hand, inwardly recoiling as he saw the vacant open eyes. He quickly pulled his hand away from the boy, his eyes inexplicably drawn to it.

Blood dripped thickly from his fingers.

With a low growl, Dumbledore held Harry in one arm, bracing the teenager's back to his body and whirled around, blasting two Death Eaters from the sky. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough for the third.

"Haha!" Bellatrix screeched, swooping low over the sprawled wizard and grabbing Harry's arm. "He's mine now, old timer!"

Harry felt the rush of the wind and new grip clamped around his arm, but it felt so far away. He saw Dumbledore looking up at him, watery blue eyes scared as he reached out to him in vain the same way Hagrid had done.

Bellatrix hauled the boy up onto her broomstick and grabbed a handful of his hair to wrench his head up as he slumped forward.

"Not quite there, are you, boy? You seemed to have gotten whacked a little too hard!" She shrieked, giggling insanely as she looked into glazed blue eyes complete with ominously wide pupils. She grinned feeling the teenager's blood soak through her fingers and pulled Harry close to her, digging her fingernails into the open wound. "I knew I would love the feel of your blood, child. I look forward to bathing in the rest of it." She cackled manically seeing the glisten of terror seep through Harry's expression. "I will enjoy making you suffer, Harry Potter."

High in the sky, Krysta's blood turned to acid.

Rage.

" _Dante_!" Dumbledore bellowed.

Skidding to a stop on another rooftop, the young man whirled around – and stopped dead.

High above him, pure white magical power densed and built up surprisingly fast. Stunned, he followed where the elder wizard was pointing.

Harry was in Bellatrix's grasp – and Krysta was livid.

All around them, wizards good and bad fought and struggled, killed and rescued – but they had no idea what was about to happen.

Dante looked back at Dumbledore, sudden anxiety cancelling out everything out. " _Stand down_!" He bellowed. "Get everyone out of here!"

High above him, Tonks blasted another Death Eater away and looked down in confusion. "What?!"

"EVERYONE," Dante yelled, casting a huge blast of pure red magics, knocking them all sideways to get their attention. "STAND DOWN! GET OUT OF RANGE!"

Dumbledore whirled his wand around his head again and conjured a huge tornado, blowing each of the Order outwards.

"GO!" he commanded. "GO NOW!"

The Order scattered and the veteran wizard reversed the winds and trapped the Death Eaters and Dementors inside the vortex.

And in the middle of it all, wings outstretched like the angel of death above them all, Krysta's eyes blazed pure white and invoked more power.

Bellatrix cried out as the gale force winds blustered around her, but determinedly held onto the teenager.

Harry could sense something was happening, but his damaged mind really wasn't helping. He was lying against someone who was holding him too tight, pressing down on his ribs and restricting his breathing, making the world fade even faster than before.

Forcing his mind to work, Harry blinked hard and found himself staring up at the billowing smoke. The world swayed sickeningly. His head was pounding, sending wave after wave of pain flooding through every cell it could find. There was a high-pitched ringing in his ears, drowning out all other sound.

Then, out of the black pitch of the sky, something pure white shot down – straight for him.

"No!" Bellatrix screamed, crushing Harry's ribs until they snapped. "He's mine! I had him first, you little -!"

Her wings folding back to gather speed, Krysta smashed into the Death Eater. The bones audibly cracked as her furious fist connected with Bellatrix's face, her entire heart and soul lividly fuelling the epic punch. Grabbing Harry's hand, she pulled him into her embracer as the Death Eater tumbled screaming towards the ground so very far away.

Krysta held him tight as she extended her wings again and beat them hard to climb, swirling around to avoid four different curses heading their way. Wrapping her arms around her little brother the way she always did, she felt the blood soaking down the wound at the back of his head his teenage form slump against her as the injuries took hold.

"I've got you, Harry." She said, pressing her palm to the wound to stem the bleeding. "I'll keep you safe."

More curses flew towards her.

Gripping Harry in one arm, the other shot out, palm open as she pulled to a stop. Her eyes flooded pure white as the power invoked, deflecting all spells cast onto their owners and maximising the blast radius twenty times stronger as she threw it right back.

Ten more Death Eaters fell from the sky and a dozen Dementors turned to dust.

Krysta whirled around. She had taken out dozens, but hundreds more reinforcements were coming thick and fast, all eager to join the fray knowing she was there and so was Harry. The Order were gone, retreated under duress, but gone. She was alone. It was almost safe.

She flew up higher and higher to the top of the smoke cloud, decimating the Dark Mark hanging over head with a wave of her hand and let the enemies follow her into the fold, all gathered together in one huge army after the Potter siblings – and very wrongly thinking they would win.

Reaching the top, Krysta spun around and flexed her wings, stretching them out to glide on the high winds and looked down to the ground of the one person she knew would not leave no matter what.

"HAGRID!" She cried. "CATCH HIM!"

Her eyes flooding white again, Krysta gripped her little brother tightly, looked down into his awake but glazed blue eyes one last time – and threw him towards the ground with all the force of a truck careening out of control.

As soon as he was out of her arms, Krysta reared back and shot her ultimate power all around him, casting away anyone who dared try to snatch his falling form again.

Leaving the magics to do its work, she tore her gaze away; it made her heart ache to do so, but she trusted her friend to catch her brother.

She faced Voldemort's army once more.

"What do you plan to do now, sweetheart?" One man jeered, his wand already powering up with sickly green magic of the forbidden curses. "You're outnumbered a hundred to one!"

"And the Dementors are already going rabid for your deliciously pure soul!" Another woman cackled. "What's the matter, little girl? I thought stories held more truth than this."

Krysta took a deep breath.

As always, she had held back. She always held back. Her power was of legend and she had promised to only use it as she saw fit. She had ever even needed half of her might; she had been only using a fraction of it and decimated almost a hundred enemies in the space of ten minutes.

Now with all the Order and Harry out of harm's way, this was the final option. Her anger was brimming. They had attacked in force and hurt her little brother. They were not provoked. They had attacked and they did not expect to leave survivors. She had no mercy to give.

Krysta watched the dark wizards stop short on their broomsticks. She watched the Dementors swarm, then halt too, confused at how she faced them without a trace of fear. She watched as their demeanours changed as her wings almost glowed with trickling power, pooling in her eyes and glowing brighter and brighter, spilling out of her in ebbing waves of crystalline white magics.

They had all heard the stories about her. Unfortunately, they didn't believe them.

They really should have.

As their eyes locked onto hers, they knew like the single candle that illuminated Hell and showed them the devastating veritas.

The stories were true. And they will never tell anyone else.

Pure, brilliant, white light lit up the night sky as if it was daytime. Screams were engulfed in it as the dark wizards and Dementors were torn apart. The blast radius covered all of East London, making sure every Death Eater and every unholy creature who had seen or been part of events was turned to nothing but dust. The brilliant white light exploded outwards, storming straight through the billowing black smoke, dissipating it across the skies and burning up the Dark Mark once and for all. The shockwave blew out the reminder of the ablaze buildings, sending all the remaining dark wizards into the light to be purified and desecrated souls to be disposed of.

It lasted less than a few seconds. Then the serenity of the empty, charred streets returned and the black dust of the remains rained down.


	10. Chapter 10

It was a full minute before Hagrid dared to look up. Breathing hard, his heart pounding a million miles an hour and with his eyes squeezed shut, the half-giant took another moment to check if he was still alive. After all, being crouched down in the middle of a huge battle ground with an all-powerful supreme being high above wasn't a good place to be in general.

Opening one eye, he checked. Then let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding.

Injured and buried under the rubble of a whole building, but fine, Norbert let out a low groan and retracted his wing from shielding Hagrid. As he did so, the remnants of the fallen debris skittered off and clunked heavily to the ground.

"Thanks, Norbert." Hagrid said, also silently thanking anyone else who was listening. "I'll come get you in a minute, just hang in there."

Groaning, the dragon lay down again and relaxed into the rubble.

Slowly, Hagrid straightened up and gazed anxiously into his unfolding arms.

Bleeding and unconscious, Harry lay protectively in his embrace. Pale and unmoving, the teenager hadn't even stirred as the half-giant had moved or spoken. Deep, cold fear gripped the half-giant.

"Harry?" Hagrid called urgently, gently shaking the ashen teenager's shoulder. "Harry, are you alright?"

There was no answer.

Anxiously, Hagrid rested the boy's legs on the ground and laid a huge hand to the teenager's chest.

Under his palm, he felt Harry's heart beating, slow but there between shallow, grating breaths.

"Oh, thank god." Hagrid almost collapsed himself in relief. Scooping the unconscious boy back into his arms, he stood up with the teenager. "I was so scared, Harry. But you'll be okay. Your sister already knew I'd be here to -,"

A deep, dark, cold realisation gripped the half-giant's heart unbearably tight.

His soul searing, he turned around. "She knew I'd be here," he whispered, slowly casting his gaze up from the younger Potter to the devastated, but now completely clear street of Diagon Alley. "She knew I'd be here to catch her when she fell."

The charred buildings, the dust and debris from the magical battle and the onslaught of a dragon was nothing compared to what he saw.

A lone body, lying in the middle of the street.

Tears already stinging his eyes, Hagrid stumbled over the debris to the still form and dropped to his knees with Harry still in his arms.

Krysta lay on her back. Her magnificent white feathered wings were dishevelled and pressed flat to the ground, one obviously and grotesquely broken as she had hit the ground. Her long dark hair was splayed around her slender form like a flower child in a field, rippling in the cold breeze as the London night rolled back in. Her porcelain skin was deathly white under the soot. Her usually rosy, cherubic lips were pale and unmoving, seeming to be barely breathing too. Despite being covered in bruises and clothes ripped, her closed eyes just made her look like she was peacefully asleep like a dreaming child. Those incredible amber eyes were closed and hidden from the world.

Hagrid sobbed as he once again rested Harry's legs on the ground so he could reach out to the young woman with his free arm.

His huge fingers graced her china white cheek.

Her skin was cold.

"No," the half-giant whispered. "No, please…"

He gently swept away the dark locks. "Wake up, Krysta. Please wake up."

Silence.

"No, no," Hagrid said, his voice breaking with distress. "I was meant to catch you, I know, I should've caught you, but Harry was…I should've caught you too. I should've. I have to catch you if Dante can't. I should've-," his voice caught in his throat. He cupped her face in his huge hand. "Krysta, please be okay."

After an agonising moment, those eyes he adored opened – but his joy was short lived.

A wheezing breath was dragged in, struggling as it did so.

"Krysta?" Hagrid said, quickly shuffling closer to grasp her small hand in his. "Are you awake?"

Still lying on her back, almost grey eyes focused and gave him a ghost of a smile.

"Oh, thank god." Hagrid murmured again, unable to stop the tears bursting out. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "You just rest, girl. The others will be here soon; they must've seen that blast ten miles away. All the bad guys are dead and everyone's alright. Just rest."

Krysta didn't answer. Her fingers weakly squeezed his as her gaze flickered to her little brother.

"Harry's okay." Hagrid said quickly. He gestured to the teenager lying unconscious, but comfortable and safe in his arm. "His head was smashed in during the fight and he's bled out a lot. He'll be out cold for a while."

Krysta squeezed his hand again.

Suddenly understanding with frightening clarity, the half-giant gently released her hand and placed Harry's hand into his sister's instead.

Hagrid must've seen Krysta use her powers so many times, but he never got used to it, even for something this small. He watched, enthralled as her eyes shimmered brighter than before, power trickling through the feathers of her wings as the pure magics gathered and powered up for one last tiny task.

Krysta's palm shimmered for a moment with white magic which then seeped into Harry's hand.

A moment later, it was over.

Krysta's eyes closed and the power dissipated, vanishing her wings and her consciousness into dreamless darkness.

Hagrid looked down at Harry lying in his arms – and smiled. His ashen cheeks had regained a little colour. Carefully, Hagrid checked the headwound. The bleeding had stopped and the wound knitted together. Harry was still out cold just like his big sister, but healed from the head trauma.

Hagrid sniffled and smiled as gazed over the girl and boy; the Potter siblings together and still holding hands.

"You've got a hell of a sister, Harry." He whispered. "And you are a fine little brother - getting yourself in trouble as always."

Behind him, having been there for a full minute and admiring the scene, the Order let the panic finally subside.


	11. Chapter 11

"Oh god…"

"Harry!"

"Krysta!"

Hagrid smiled reassuringly as he ducked through the door of Sirius' house with Harry still in his arms. "Don't lose your rags; Harry will be just fine. Got a bit smashed in the head, that's all."

Ron and Hermione almost collapsed at the news and quickly scooted into the living room to hold the door open and drew the curtains to let in the first rays of dawn.

"What about -?" Ron started.

"She's fine too." Dante said, carrying his wife bridal style into the living room after Hagrid. "This always happened with power overload. Krysta's asleep."

The large living room quickly began crowded as Sirius, Lupin, Mr Weasley and Dumbledore all filed in too.

"Is anybody-?" Hermione started.

Sirius caught her shoulder. "No one." He said with a light smile. "Krysta is tougher than she looks. We fought and won the battle, then she won the war."

Feeling relieved, but not quite understanding why, the teenage girl nodded and smiled gratefully at Ron holding her hand as they gathered at Harry's bedside.

Mrs Weasley edged around the several newcomers and straightened out the two make-shift beds in the middle of the room ready for Hagrid and Dante. "When you said there were two casualties, I did the best I could -,"

"It's wonderful, Molly." Lupin said gratefully. "The kids really are going to be fine. They just need some rest."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, watching as the Potter siblings were gently laid on the beds side by side. "Krysta outshone as always and kept everyone safe – and took out several hundred of Voldemort's followers in the process. They will be fine."

"Thank goodness." Hermione said spreading a blanket over Krysta and tossing another to Ron.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. He covered his friend with the blanket and carefully took off his glasses, setting them down on the side table. "Harry is bloody lucky, isn't he?"

"Indeed." Lupin said with a small smile.

"I will take my leave now," Dumbledore said, turning to the door. "I will boost the spells around the house from Diagon Alley, there is much to be cleared up while the youngsters rest."

"Thank you, professor." Dante said, kneeling beside Krysta.

The old wizard smiled. "The true thanks goes to your girl, Dante. Without her, none of us would be here."

Quiet fell as he left, until the armchair broke as Hagrid sat down along with everyone else.

"Oops," He said, blushing more for startling everyone, than for breaking the chair. "Sorry about that, Sirius."

Sirius couldn't help but chuckle as he relaxed back into the armchair opposite. "It's quite alright, Hagrid, those chair legs are rotted through anyway. I really have to redecorated in here." He smiled warmly at the half-giant, dispelling that instant shame and glanced around the room at the sea of anxious faces. "I think we could all do with some calming tea."

"Yes," Mrs Weasley said, grateful for something to do. "I'll see to it. That will help us all relax a little; that was far too much excitement for so early in the morning."

"But what exactly happened out there?" Hermione asked, stunned to see everyone quite so blasé. "There's a massive fire, Harry goes running off, then everyone comes back and Harry and Krysta are out cold – what happened?"

The adults looked at each other, clearly wanting to keep the exact events away from them, then Dante ignored all of their glances anyway.

"The Leaky Cauldron was attacked." He told them. Dante gently swept back the dark locks from Krysta's face and caressed her cheek, defiantly in goring the looks casting his way. "But it wasn't her fault."

"What do you mean?" Mr Weasley asked anxiously.

Dante looked up at him. "Voldemort didn't know Krysta was there. The attack was meant for the Order. They knew Mad-Eye and Tonks were planning a raid in the back rooms with several other members. Krysta called me because she went back and realised the entire pub was full of dark wizards pretending to be patrons the moment she walked in. She thought they were after her, but they didn't even know who she was and completely ignored her. They were there to ensure the Order were trapped in the Cauldron as they'd already planted the apple grenades and sent for reinforcements. The attack wasn't meant for Krysta – it was meant for you."

Gasps circled the room.

"How did they know a meeting was going on?" Lupin said, glancing at Mr Weasley in alarm.

The other shook his head. "I have no idea; the meet was top secret on every level."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Thank god Krysta was there," he looked at Lupin. "Tonks was heading up the meeting, wasn't she? It's the one for the raid that was mean to happen next week."

Lupin nodded. "How did Krysta know they were Voldemort's followers in the pub?"

"The Dementors." Dante stated. "She clocked onto them before they clocked her – that's the frist time that's ever happened. I think the diversion must've worked; they had no idea she was still in London. She sensed them near the pub and called me in case she needed back up, but it wasn't her they were after. They were just plain unlucky that way." He shook his head. "I had Norbert with me – I was about to hand him over to Hagrid for a bit before taking him back to Romania. So I dragged them both with me under the perception filter and only just arrived when the first apple blasts went off."

"That was damn scary." Hagrid said with a shudder. "As if the explosions weren't scary enough; Norbert was flying like a lunatic. He never used to fly like that when I had him."

Dante gave into a grin. "We've been a bit more…death-defying with his training of late. Charlie's idea of course." He saw Mrs Weasley's glare. "It was, honest. He thinks the dragons are getting bored in Romania so wanted them to have some fun." Wisely looking away, he sighed deeply seeing the dishevelled sate of his wife and cast the anger away when he realised how beautiful she looked despite all that. "They'd laced the apple blasts with muggle explosives so Diagon Alley started a huge blaze that spilled into their world and cut off everyone in the alley. Everyone mass panicked, then the Death Eaters and Dementors stormed out in force too. Krysta protected the Cauldron from the blast and took out half of the Death Eaters in the pub, so the Order stood a chance to fight back. They were taking out the rest of them when we got there."

"My god…" Hermione murmured, her hand pressed to her lips.

Ron's eyes were wide as saucers. "Bloody hell."

"It really was." Dante said. He glanced back at Krysta, then to Harry. "All hell broke loose and we had our hands full with enemies, then the kid showed up out of nowhere – what happened there?"

"Oh, yeah, he does that." Hermione told him. "Harry's…not exactly forward thinking."

"That's the understatement of the century." Sirius sighed. "But he was panicked when he saw us worried about Krysta – he took Buckbeak and ran straight into the line of fire looking for her. To be honest, any of us would've done the same if it was someone we loved in danger."

"Definitely. Not the wisest move, but commendable regardless." Mr Weasley agreed. "As headstrong and impulsive as the boy is, it's exactly what we would all do for a beloved sister."

Beside him, Mrs Weasley cuddled his arm. "At least everyone's safe." She glanced over Krysta. "She protected them all, didn't she?"

"Right until the end. She sent everyone in the Order away and threw Harry to me." Hagrid stated. He shook his head. "God, I've never seen her summon full power before. I've never been so scared in my life."

"Yeah," Dante agreed whole-heartedly. He ran a hand through his snow white locks, finally acknowledging his own pounding headache. "Freaking hell, I had to use Norbert as my shield and Krysta still knocked me out for a few minutes. I couldn't even catch my girl when she fell. She barely ever summons full power."

He clapped Hagrid on the knee, making the half-giant surge forward under his immense strength.

"Thanks for being there, mate. I know I dragged you there when she called."

Hagrid cleared his throat and looked down sheepishly, trying and failing to hide his blush. "I, um… I didn't actually catch her. I didn't even think. I always catch her if she knocks you flat, Dante, you know that, right? But when Krysta called to me, I just acted. She threw Harry to me so hard and he was all I could think about -,"

"I know, Hagrid, stop apologising." The younger man's cocky mask dropped to reveal a true smile. "I heard her call you. She couldn't be holding Harry when she supposed full power; it wasn't safe for him or me – she knew you are the only one who can handle her power. You were there for her like you always were – catching her little brother like she asked." Dante glanced at his wife again. "I hate leaving Krysta vulnerable like that, but she knocks me flat when she does that as well as drains her energy. You caught Harry and you stayed with Krysta until the rest of us showed up – I doubt anyone else could've done that but you, big guy."

Hagrid smiled happily. "Thanks, Dante."

"Agreed." Mr Weasley said with a warm smile.

"Agreed." Sirius and Lupin added, reaching out to shake Hagrid's hand too.

Ron and Hermione smiled and agreed, but couldn't help but feel thrown by the remarks too, but before they could ask, something else caught their attention.

Still kneeling by the makeshift beds, Dante frowned.

"What is it?" Lupin asked, suddenly anxious.

Sirius leaned forward in the armchair, suddenly worried. "Dante?"

Dante didn't answer. Instead, he touched the teenager's cheek with the back of his hand. Harry's skin was cold and clammy. Dante's heart thudded. Leaning down, held his ear close to Harry's slowly turning blue lips. His steel blue eyes widened in sudden dread.

"He can't breathe."

Dante ignored them as voices cried out and pressed a hand to Harry's chest. The teenager's ribcage barely moved under his touch, his heart beat slow and irregular.

Suddenly beside him, Sirius tore open Harry's sweater and almost had a heart attack. The teenager's porcelain white skin was covered in deep black bruising spreading like a disease across his chest.

"That little -," Hagrid seethed. "Bellatrix was holding onto him too tight."

Sirius ran his fingers over Harry's ribs; the bones felt all wrong. "His ribs are broken. There's massive internal bleeding." he said, already pulling out his wand. "His lungs must be filling up with blood. The kid can't breathe."

"Out of the way!" Mrs Waesley cried, her wand already out. "He needs the bones regrown!"

"Wait."

Everyone stopped.

Dante frowned again as he looked over the teenager. He didn't quite uderstadn it, but he could sense it clearer now he was paying attention.

"Dante!" Ron and Hermione cried in unison.

Dante just held up a hand to them. "I wonder…" he whispered.

He gently brushed away the dark locks from Harry's forehead, revealing the lightning shaped scar. Just like with any other dark force, he could feel the signature of the dark wizard who had cast it; it made his very soul recoil at the sensation of it. Voldemort's mark was still as raw and deep as the say it first cast on the one-year-old child.

Without thinking, the young man laid a hand on Harry's chest and summoned his own power.

Blood red magics misted under his palm for less than a second.

Then, Harry drew in a deep breath and turned onto his side, much more comfortable now.

Dante smiled and sat back, pleased to see the ominous blue tones of his lips now gone and his skin back to the clear china-white of before.

"How did-?" Mr Weasley stammered.

"The scar." Dante said softly. He reached out and pulled the torn sweater closed and then drew the blanket over his young brother-in-law's shoulder. "I had wondered about it, but hadn't actually met the kid yet."

"What did you do?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide.

"I fixed his ribs and drained the blood away; he's asleep now." Dante stood up and pulled Rebellion from his back, inspecting the blade before any more questions were directed at him. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Hagrid and I have a dragon to dig out and return home. I'll maintain the perception filter until Krysta's power replenishes so the house should still be hidden. I'll be back for Krysta in an hour."

"You're taking her away?" Lupin asked, distracted from his initial question about what the hell Dante had just done. "She won't be recovered by then, neither will Harry."

"I know." Dante said. He glanced at the occupants ruefully as they all stood too. "It's too risky for them both to be vulnerable and under the same roof. Krysta attracts too much danger and we can't tempt fate like this. She'll kill me if I don't take her away."

"But Harry will be devastated!" Hermione exclaimed, she too instantly forgetting the questions from before. "After everything, she can't just vanish from his life again! He'll be crushed!

"Yeah, talk about a dick move!" Ron agreed.

"Ronald!"

"Sorry, Mum, but it's true! Harry's been through so much and I've never seen him this happy before. Never! You can't just take her away from him!"

Dante grinned, his heart secretly melting at the two teenaers now taking on a fighting stance before him and protectively before their unconscious frind.

"That isn't what I meant, kiddo." He laid a strong hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's just until she's at full strength again. When Krysta uses her power full-force like this, her energy is drained to nil. If the walls caved in and someone was standing over her bed with a knife ready to cut out her heart, she won't wake up. It's why she does this so rarely. Not only can she total pretty much everyone, she's vulnerable to anyone until her magics replenish. When she wakes up, no one can take her down – trust me on that. Krysta will be able to defend all of us when she's recovered, but right now, this is really tempting fate, especially while lying next to her equally out cold kid brother. Trust me, she will kill me, if I don't do this."

Lupin and Sirius both laughed, knowing full well what he meant even if the kids didn't.

"Oh," Hermione said, feeling a bit foolish now. "I guess that makes sense."

"I didn't think anyone was that cruel." Ron added, also standing down.

Dante smiled. "I'm glad the kid has made such good friends – you two really do make Krysta feel better, you know. She had to stay in the shadows, but she always knew how you kept Harry sane."

The teenagers smiled.

"Let's go, Hagrid." Dante said shouldering Rebellion. "I don't know what's more scary, a pissed off dragon or a pissed off Charlie when he sees what we've done to the dragon."

The half-giant chuckled as he struggled out of the broken armchair. "This was your idea, Dante. You tell him."

"I'm telling him it was your idea."

As the men said their goodbyes, Dante turned to Mrs Weasley. "Oh yeah, and this is from Charlie." He kissed her on the cheek and gave her a big hug. "He also says everything's fine, stop worrying."

Flustered, but pleased, Mrs Weasley blushed and shooed Hagrid and Dante out of the room. "Like I'll stop worrying about my boy anyway."

Mr Weasley laughed. "He sounds just fine, Molly. Perhaps even bored."

"Good. Bored is always good."

Sirius looked over the teenagers still gazing over the Potter siblings worriedly. "They will be fine, I promise. Perhaps a little banged up, but that seems to be the base-state of you kids these days."

Ron smiled. "You're not wrong there."

Hermione nodded, but didn't take her gaze away from Krysta. "Professor…"

Lupin smiled. "Again, I suggest you ask her when she wakes. I imagine there has been so much to tell you and Harry that she hasn't covered even a fraction yet."

Sirius nodded, then glanced at his old friend. "Let's get those teas shall we? And sort out something for breakfast. It's been a turbulent night to say the least; let's get some normality going."

Mr Weasley squeezed his son's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll go out and get some fresh bread, that always cheers everyone up."

Ron smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thanks, Dad."

Left alone in the room, the quiet rolled in around Ron and Hermione and the sleeping Krysta and Harry.

"This feels weird." Ron remarked after a moment.

"What does?"

"Harry usually talks in his sleep."

Hermione looked at him for a moment, then laughed. She couldn't help herself. "Harry talks in his sleep?"

"Oh yeah, freaks the hell out of me sometimes." Ron grinned. "I suppose fair's fair though. He says I snore, but he doesn't mind. I suppose it was much worse trying to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs."

The girl laughed again. Ron smiled, pleased.

Feeling better, she stood up and dropped onto the sofa, curling up in the old, soft cushions and beckoned to Ron to join her.

"God, it feels like an entire lifetime has passed in barely an hour." Ron sighed. "Life isn't half exciting when Harry's around."

"I'd prefer less scared-to-death moments though, if you don't mind." Hermione frowned as she glanced over Krysta and Harry asleep side by side. "Something keeps bothering me, but I can't quite understand what it is. It's like when you know something and it's right there on the tip of your tongue, but you can't quite grasp it. It just feels like you're trying to grab water."

Ron stared at her. "What sort of thing is bothering you?"

"It's hard to explain." The girl shook her head, running through everything she'd heard so far and still finding it impossible to hang onto the niggling thoughts. "There's so many odd things, like how Krysta has to be alone so much, but Harry can have people around him; like us and your family. How did she sense the Dementors and dark wizards and call Dante before they discovered her? How did she save everyone at Diagon Alley when Dumbledore and a whole bunch of powerful witches and wizards were there too? Even Dumbledore praised her – they said she took out _hundreds_ of emeries."

Ron's green eyes widened. "God, hundreds?"

"That's what they said." Hermione looked at the sleeping girl, watching as she turned onto her side, facing her brother and snuggled into the pillow. "How did she do all that?"

Ron cocked his head to one side. "They said that about Krysta's father too; not Harry's, but her biological father. Michael was powerful. Maybe she's just powerful too and it just feels weird because she's so young; only nine years older than us."

"Then there's what just happened." Hermione went on. "How did Dante fix Harry up so quickly? He just knew what to do and did it – Ron, a healing spell to fix Harry's ribs would've taken an hour to regrown and reattach to the ribcage. Finally, if Dante is now fuelling the perception filter and Dumbledore himself is boosting the protection charms, why is everyone still so worried? I understand what Dante said, but isn't this going a bit overboard?"

Ron stared at her, just as lost as she appeared to be.

"Kids! Breakfast is ready!"

Reluctantly, the teenagers left the two casualties to sleep and headed to the kitchen. When they returned an hour later, Harry was still asleep, but Krysta's bed was empty save for one item.

Ron picked up the rembrall filled with black smoke and smiled seeing the post-it stuck on it.

"Call if you need us. Tell the kid, she'll be back later."

Hermione smiled too. "They make such a cute couple."

Ron nodded in agreement.

Placing the rembrall on the side table, Hermione flicked on the TV and turned the volume low. Together, they kept Harry company until he woke.


	12. Chapter 12

As if floating to the surface of a deep lake, Harry awakened. Strange snatches of the nightmare he had been having sparked incomprehensibly across his mind. He sifted once more through the broken memories, but nothing fit together in the right segments. Then they flitted out of his grip and slithered away.

 _Choking…lost…death…pain…falling…so much pain…_

Harry opened his eyes. The weak sunlight blinded him for a moment from every direction. Confused and now disoriented too, his heart began to race. From where he lay on his back, Nero stared at the ceiling of the vast room, slowly making out the blurry shapes of the lighting and cornicing.

 _Where am I?_

The last thing he remembered was…

 _…_ _her eyes flooded white, then falling away from her faster and faster as enemies closed in on her…_

Anxiety gripped him.

Harry tried to sit up from the bed. It was a bad idea. Pain exploded through his left shoulder like electrical bolts. A sharp gasp escaping him, he grasped it with his other hand, forcing himself to freeze and beg the pain to stop.

A hand covered him and another hand cupped his cheek in a palm.

"Harry, it's okay," said a soft, gentle voice he knew all too well. "It's me; you're safe."

Confused, disoriented and now breathing hard and fast on the verge of panic, Harry struggled to control himself.

Releasing his wrist, both hands now cupped his face, forcing his gaze to focus. "Harry." The voice said again. "It's me, you're safe."

Finally, the pain subsided.

Kneeling beside the makeshift bed, Mrs Weasley smiled warmly in relief, her soft brown eyes gazing on the teenager she had come so far as to see as her own.

She gently swept Harry's hair from his cheek. "You're at Sirius's house, Harry. Your shoulder is deeply bruised, that's all."

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing the panic away and letting the relief flood in instead.

"Mrs Weasley." He murmured, gratefully allowing her to ease him onto his back.

"Here." The woman said kindly. "The healing spell will take some time to work, but this should help."

Something cold pressed against his shoulder and instantly felt ten times better.

Mrs Weasley smiled as the teenager relaxed and glanced up at the sofas. Both Ron and Hermione had stirred at the sudden noise, but they hadn't woken, just snuggled more comfortably into the blankets that covered them.

Finally, Harry's mind kick started. Vivid blue eyes snapped open.

"Krysta -,"

"She's fine." Mrs Weasley said quickly and effectively shushing him. "Everyone's fine. Only you and her got hurt and she's resting too. everyone is."

Harry slowly sat up, much more carefully this time and took his glasses from the elder woman. He smiled seeing his friends asleep on the sofas and the familiarity of Sirius's living room.

"What happened?" Harry asked, breathless and not sure why. "How did I get here?"

Mrs Weasley sat back and sighed deeply. "Krysta kept her promise as she always does – she protected you Harry. She protected everyone. So many were set to die last night in the attack, but no one did." She reached up and carefully pressed the cool pack to Harry's shoulder. "I was so wrong about her; I doubt she'll ever forgive me for all these years I've forced her away from you."

Harry regarded her for a long moment. He could see the tears that stung her eyes that she tried hard to hide by busying herself with his shoulder. He could also se the regret and shame that shone through too.

Slowly, he reached up and grasped her hand.

"She doesn't hold it against you, Mrs Weasley." Harry told her. "She knows you just want to protect your family."

The older woman stared at him for a long moment. "That should've included her too," she whispered. Mrs Weasley sniffed and cupped the teenager's face in her hands. "You are so much like one of my boys, Harry, I should have seen her that way too." she shook her head. "Sixteen years she watched you and nothing ever happened because you are the most important person in her whole world save for her husband. I should have trusted her the way the others do… the way you do. You risked your life for her after only two days."

Harry smiled.

"For which you are totally grounded for now, by the way. For the rest of your life. Of you ever even think about taking Buckbeak into a giant magical battle, whether your sister's in danger or not, I'm going to tan your hide until you are red raw."

The teenager chuckled softly. "Okay."

Mrs Weasley smiled and urged him to lie down again. "Rest up, Harry. That shoulder will be sore for a few days. Dumbledore says you were treated quite roughly. Dante took care of your ribs though so that shouldn't bother you."

"My ribs?"

"They were broken." She replied. "It was causing internal bleeding. Your head was smashed in too, Krysta fixed that one for you."

Harry stared at her, stunned. "How -?"

Mrs Weasley held up a hand. "Ask when you're better. Ron and Hermione are still asleep, so you rest too."

Harry relaxed into the soft sheets and pulled his glasses off. There were so many questions rocketing around his mind, but he felt far too exhausted to deal with them now despite the overwhelming curiosity.

Leaving the icepack on his shoulder, he glanced around the blurry room, then almost laughed hearing Ron's snores. His gaze fell onto the side table beside him. He reached up his good arm and grasped the glass orb on the top.

The rembrall swirled with dark smoke aside the orb underneath the post it.

"Call if you need us. Tell the kid, she'll be back later."

Harry smiled. Everything really was fine.

Fatigue taking over, he closed his eyes, still holding the rembrall and fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

When Harry woke up again, someone was cuddling him from behind.

Instantly, several memories of this exact same thing happening spanned over sixteen years asserted themselves in his mind.

Directly opposite him, Hermione giggled, absolutely loving that instant huge smile that crossed her friend's lips.

"Did I wake him?" Krysta's voice asked.

"Yeah, but he seems happy about it." Hermione replied, grinning.

"Hold still, Harry."

Harry felt her hand press lightly over his injured shoulder. Then there was a shimmer of white mist.

"Better?"

Harry turned onto his back and smiled as she handed him his glasses. His big sister was lying on his makeshift bed on her front, propped up on her elbows and her ankles crossed and idly swinging in mid-air. She looked completely fine as if nothing at all had happened.

"You're okay." Harry breathed.

"I'm always okay, Harry." Krysta said warmly. Then her amber eyes hardened. "Which is why taking Buckbeak to Diagon Alley was such a risk."

Harry sat up in the bed. "I had to. I was so scared I was gonna lose you, Krysta. I couldn't- I didn't -,"

The instant terror faded away as Krysta enveloped him in her arms. Just like always, one arm wrapped around his waist and the other around his neck, her palm laying gently on the back of his head. She held him close as he relaxed, quelling the sudden overwhelming fear that threatened to strangle his very soul.

"Never come to find me, Harry." She said softly. "It's not safe. That's why I always took your memories from you. You make yourself a target if you look for me."

Harry cuddled her tightly, unable to let the anxiety go. "I've lost so much, I can't lose you too. I think I'll fall apart this time."

Krysta stroked his hair reassuringly. "Think back to that night, Harry. What do you remember?"

Harry stopped. His mind filled with everything that happened. From flying Buckbeak to guiding the people to safety to the death in the pub and then…

 _…_ _the battle…Krysta high in the sky…Dante at her side…then pain and darkness…_

"Harry?" Ron called, clicking his fingers in front of his face. "Anyone home?"

Harry blinked and finally saw his friends and sister looking back at him.

Krysta laughed softly at his expression and stood up. "Come on, you need to shower and change; you've still got blood all over you. I fixed your shoulder too, so you shouldn't hurt anywhere now."

Harry glanced down over himself. His sweater was torn open at the chest and sported some huge blood stains too.

"That's not yours." Krysta told him helpfully. "You were smashed in the back of the head. All your blood's soaked down your back – don't worry, I fixed the head wound too."

"Then whose blood is on his front?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Bellatrix's."

Ron gasped in shock. "That's Bellatrix's blood?"

"Yep, I punched her in the face and broke her jaw. She's gonna be even uglier now and think twice about her actions." The young woman shrugged seeing the incredulous looks on her. "She hurt my brother; she's not getting away with that." She walked to the door and looked pointedly at Harry. "Shower – go. I'll be in the kitchen."

Left alone, the teenagers exchanged glances.

"I think I love your sister, Harry." Ron said, his eyes still wide.

Harry laughed. "I think I love her too."

"Same here." Hermione added. She stood up and straightened her shirt. "Go on Harry, get washed up. It's almost time for breakfast."

"Breakfast?"

"Oh yeah," Ron said clapping him on the back. "You've been out for a whole day. The battle at Diagon Alley was two nights ago."

"What?!"

"Yep. Krysta just got here too." Hermione told him. "She was out cold after the battle as well. Dante just brought her back a few minutes ago." She too gestured to the door. "Go on, wash up."

Then Harry found himself upstairs.

"I'm beginning to think girls all share a secret language." Ron said, idly flicking through the Daily Prophet for the tenth time that morning. "They all seem to get each other, but we don't get them."

Harry pulled a fresh set of clothes and hunted around for his towel. "I never really got that, but now I can see it with Krysta."

"Your shoulder okay?"

"Fine."

"She's good at the fix up jobs – Dante too. You should've seen him fix your ribs."

Harry stopped halfway into the bathroom and leaned back around the frame. "What?"

Ron glanced up. "Oh, Bellatrix crushed your ribs so you couldn't breathe."

"No, I know, your Mum told me – but how did Dante fix my ribs?" Harry's breath caught. "How did Krysta fix my shoulder?"

Ron shrugged and turned back to the paper. "Dunno. Hurry up, would you? Breakfast will be ready any minute. I'm starving."

Still confused, but now noticing he was starving to death, Harry cast away the weird thoughts and walked into the bathroom.


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey! Give it back!"

"Nope, it's mine now."

"No fair! You're bigger than me! And you already ate yours!"

"And now I'm having yours."

Harry couldn't stop the grin crossing his face as he walked into the kitchen.

Dante held the cookie up higher as Krysta pulled at his shirt, trying to literally climb him to get it. Around the kitchen table, Lupin and Sirius just laughed.

"Uncle Remus, make him give it back!" Krysta complained as her husband just stepped backwards out of her reach.

Lupin laughed and placed his tea back on the table. "When does anyone make Dante do anything?"

"make him give it back!"

"You know you're not five years old anymore, right?"

"Dante, be nice to her." Mrs Weasley said scoldingly. "You already ate your cookie, give hers back."

"Like she said, I'm bigger than her, so I should get more cookies." Dante said grinning.

"Alright, fine." Krysta said, giving up. "We can share it."

Dante appeared to think for a moment. "Nah, I think I'll just have it."

Scandalised, Krysta's jaw dropped. "You're mean!"

"And you're tiny."

"And you're ticklish."

"What?"

Krysta gave him the evillest pixie grin he'd ever seen in his life – and launched at him.

In a tangle of limbs, a lot of giggling for a big huge guy and some manic female laughter, the two of them hit the floor. Five seconds later, Krysta triumphantly sat up on Dante's back and held the cookie up high victoriously.

"Ha! I win! It's mine!"

Then Harry plucked the cookie from his sister's unaware hand. "Nope – it's mine."

Krysta gasped, scandalised as her little brother took a huge bite out of her cookie.

The entire kitchen burst into laughter – and Krysta bolted up and reached for the remaining cookie. Harry laughed as he held it away from her, then tossed it to Ron who too another bite out of it.

"No fair!" Krysta exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Hermione said, poking Ron in the side and picking the final quarter of the cookie out of his hand. "It's mine now!"

As she devoured the last chuck, her eyes lit up. "Wow, that was yummy!"

Cookie now gone, Krysta gave up – until Dante pulled her into his arms and presented her with another cookie. His one.

"You know I don't like sweets much." He said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Around them Harry, Ron and Hermione laughed at the adorable look of happiness that crossed the young woman's face.

"God," Sirius sighed turning the page on his paper. "How did I end up with so many kids in my house?"

Lupin laughed. "I think cookies bring out the worst in all of us."

"Yes." Mrs Weasley said. "Especially since you two ate the first batch between you and fought over the last one as well."

The men gained matching blushes.

As everyone took seats around the large kitchen table, Mrs Weasley magicked up the buffet and then pulled off her apron.

"I need to head home for a bit and check on the other boys." She told them. "Ginny must have her hands full with the older ones."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "You do know Ginny is the youngest of us, right?"

"And the only responsible one." His mother returned. "Now, eat breakfast. Specially you, Harry, you're too skinny."

Krysta stifled a laugh as the older woman left the room and glanced over Harry. The teenager looked fresh and fine now in jeans and grey sweater and no trace of blood anywhere.

Harry caught her glance. "I'm fine, stop worrying."

His sister smiled. "Just checking." She glanced at Dante. "Still seems strange though."

Dante chuckled. "When are things not strange around us?"

"You don't think it's odd that my magic and your magic both work on Harry?"

Dante shrugged.

Hermione frowned. "What's strange about that?"

Krysta looked at her thoughtfully for a long moment. "You know, I always knew you were smart, Hermione, I figured you'd see it much faster than anyone else."

Quiet fell.

Lupin and Sirius glanced at each other. Then looked at Krysta.

"You may as well." Lupin said taking another sip of his tea. "The kids will find out sooner or later anyway. I doubt Dumbledore will mind."

"They've probably all noticed by now." Sirius agreed.

"I hate it when this happens." Ron said, exasperated. "What have I missed this time?"

Krysta just smiled and picked up a bread roll. "Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" she handed the teenagers the bread basket and helped herself to the butter. "There's so much to tell you all, it's been two days and we haven't even covered half of it."

Dante sat back and poured himself another coffee. "That's putting it lightly."

Krysta leaned forward on the table top. "What do you remember about the attack, Harry?"

Harry thought back to the trying night now two days ago. "I was scared something had happened to you, so I ran away with Buckbeak -,"

"You're not gonna do that again, are you?" Sirius interrupted, his voice taking on a scolding tone. "Krysta said she told you off, but I'm gonna pile on as godfather if you try that again."

The teenager blushed. "Um, no. it was stupid and dangerous and I almost got myself killed. I know that now. I won't do it again."

"Good."

Hermione and Ron stifled a giggle.

"It's funny when it isn't me being told off," Ron whispered to Hermione.

"Or me." She replied with a grin.

"Anyway," Harry said pointedly throwing them a glare. "Buckbeak took me back to Diagon Alley and the place was already on fire. He landed on a roof and everyone on the street below as panicking - all the exits had been cut off."

Lupin nodded. "Dumbledore saw that too. The apple grenades had been strategically placed to make sure no one could get out."

"But there was an alleyway by the building we were on that was still clear." Harry went on. "So I took Buckbeak to the other side and told him to beat his wings and forced everyone back towards it. Everyone managed to escape."

Everyone stared at him.

"You saved all those people?" Hermione said, stunned.

Harry nodded. "They were just running about like lost children and the smoke was getting to everyone, so Buckbeak channelled them to the alleyway and they all got out."

Sirius stared at the teenager, his heart swelling in the most wonderful way. "Well done, Harry. So many others would have panicked in that situation."

Harry looked away. "Oh, um, I didn't really think about it. While Buckbeak was doing that, I ran to the Leaky Cauldron and it was -,"

The memories rose up so quickly, he didn't even have time to brace himself for the impact.

 _…_ _damaged as if a huge brawl had taken place. All the furniture was broken, the chandelier that held 300 years of dust on in was in a thousand pieces over the savaged pub counter … and …_

 _Death…So much death._

Harry's heart pounded out of control just like it had done standing in the ruins of the pub. It skipped random beats, sending the most sickening jolts through his whole body.

 _…_ _Body after body dressed in dark robes stared at him, frozen in fury and anguish at the moment death had struck. Blood splattered over the broken tables and smeared over the floor. Twisted and shattered bones lay in awkward positions, churning his stomach by the sight of them…_

 _…_ _oh god…_

Everyone noticed the change.

The teenager was suddenly breathing heavily, but laboured and out of sync, as reliving something so terrible it made him panic so instantly, there was no way he could hold back the tide. All the colour had drained from his skin, his vivid blue eyes were wide and shimmered as if on the verge of hysterical tears as the trauma of what he'd seen engulfed his very soul.

"Harry?" Sirius said, dropping his tea cup into the saucer as his chair jolted backwards under his sudden movement.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione called anxiously, grasping her friend's hand.

Harry didn't seem to notice either of them.

Already standing behind her brother, Krysta held a hand up to her uncle and then gently graced her fingers over Harry's cheek, catching his attention. Her palm shimmered with white magics for a split-second.

Harry didn't see what she had done, but everyone else did. Harry's usually vivid blue eyes glistened white for a moment, then blanked out, as if hypnotised. Then, in her other hand hidden behind his head, she drew away the wispy memory and let it disappear into the atmosphere.

"Forget what you saw, Harry." Krysta whispered, magically repairing his memories. "You are too young to see so much brutality. Forget."

"Krysta-," Sirius murmured, his own eyes wide as he witnessed her power work over her little brother.

"It's okay, uncle." The young woman told him. "The damage is not permanent."

As Sirius took his seat again, Krysta lovingly caressed Harry's hair, coaxing those placid blue eyes back onto hers.

"Forgot what you saw, Harry." She said softly. "You came in the door and ran for the stairs. You saw nothing else."

She waved a hand in front of the teenager's face.

Harry blinked. And came back to reality.

"How did you get here?" he asked, suddenly noticing his sister behind him.

Krysta smiled warmly. "Just wanted to steal your jam. Fair's fair since you ate my cookie."

She took the strawberry jam jar as he handed it to her and walked back to her seat. "So you came to the Leaky Cauldron, then what happened?"

"Oh, right." Harry said shaking off the strange moment and comely unaware about how he had freaked out then instantly turned back to normal. "I ran into the Leaky Cauldron and went upstairs to find you, but the rooms were all empty. Then I found your parker ripped in half by the window and I looked outside…" he shook his head as his blue eyes widened in shock and awe. "There were dozens of Death Eaters and dozens of the Order fighting and you were…"

Harry trailed off. The memory was so clear in his mind, but he could barely comprehend it. his gaze flickered from Krysta, then to Dante who was also grinning, then back to his sister.

"Krysta…" Harry whispered, the most adorable look of wonder crossing his features.

He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the right words.

"What?" Ron said, leaning forward eagerly. "What is it?"

Hermione was staring at him too. "This is about Krysta, isn't it?" she said, looking from Harry to his sister. "I told you something was bothering me, Ron. This is it. Something is missing, something we don't know."

Krysta folded her arms on the table curiously. "You're such a bright girl, Hermione, I bet you can work it out in a cinch." Her amber eyes glistened as she looked at the girl. "Think. Think about all the times you've seen me do what I do. What's missing?"

It took less than five seconds for the teenage girl to gasp in sudden, shocking realisation.

"What?" Ron demanded. "What is it?"

Ignoring him, Hermione grabbed Harry's arm, making him jump. "Harry! Did you see Krysta using her magic that night?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, everyone was. There was a battle going on."

"How? How was she casting it? Think back! How did she do it?"

 _…_ _At the top of the billowing smoke cloud surrounded by biblical lightening…she was suspended high up on the winds, commanding lightning and magic around her in a mix of brilliant light and sparkling white magical essence – and soaring on the most incredible white-feathered wings…white magic streamed out of her palms, twirling and sashaying around her, dancing in mid-air …_

 _…_ _just like she grasped his shoulder ten minutes ago to fix the damage…_

"Her hands." Harry whispered, staring at Hermione, not even realising he was grasping his now-fine shoulder. "The magic came out of her hands."

"That's it!" the girl exclaimed triumphantly. She whirled back to the young woman. "You just touched Harry's shoulder and fixed it – you can cast magic with your hands…wait…"

Krysta laughed. "Keep going, you've almost got it."

The teenage girl's wide eyes fell onto Dante still enjoying his coffee. "You can do it too. You just touched Harry's chest and you fixed his ribs."

"Got it in one." Dante replied.

"But that means…"

Both Ron and Harry stared at her as Hermione sat back in her chair; she looked like she had frozen completely.

"That means…" Ron said helpfully.

Harry frowned, then looked at his sister. "That means you don't use a wand. Neither does Dante."

"No," Krysta told him. "I don't need one. Dante doesn't either."

Dante stood up abruptly and held out a hand to his wife. "This will be much easier if we just show them, beloved."

"I don't want them to freak out."

"Nah, they'll be fine. Besides, Harry's already seen your true form."

"What?" Ron said, stunned. "You have? When?"

"That night." Harry said, staring at the couple now standing in the middle of the kitchen. "I saw you…"

Krysta smiled and nodded. "I looked like this."

There was a flash of pure white magic. For a moment, the purity of the white engulfed them all, brilliant and soothing sounding strangely like children singing as the power rippled in glistening white sparkles surging out from its primary source.

When Harry's eyes adjusted to the brightness, he couldn't help but stare in awe.

Held lovingly in her husband's arms, Krysta folded back her magnificent white wings careful not to damage anything in the kitchen and cast pure white irises tinged with golden flecks onto her little brother.

"This is my true form, Harry." Krysta told him. She glanced at Dante who looked exactly like he always did. "And this is Dante's; he doesn't bother to hide."

"I'm not hiding my awesomeness. I can't deny the world my beautiful face." Dante reiterated.

Krysta sighed.

Dante grinned. "Well, except one thing."

Just as Krysta's eyes blazed pure white, his turned the most devilish blood red.

And everyone couldn't help the instant recoil in fear.

Dante laughed and reverted back to the regular steel blue. "Keep your knickers on, it's still me. Sorry, I got my dad's eyes and I can't help using them for cheap thrills sometimes."

A moment later, the couple were sitting back at the table and indulging in some buttery croissants.

"This is really good." Krysta said blissfully.

"Try the custard tarts," Lupin suggested. "They're to die for."

Dante happily dug in.

Around them, the teenagers just stared at them.

"Krysta, fix the kids, would you?" Sirius said, turning the page on his paper. "It's weirdly quiet without them talking."

"Hmmm? Oh, right."

Hermione slowly shook her head, finally dragging herself out of her paralysis. "What are you, Krysta?"

The young woman looked from one stunned face to the others, then reached across the table and grasped Harry's hands.

"Harry," she said pulling his attention back. "I want you to know that I've never lied about my magics to you before, it just never really came up in conversation until now. Actually…you've never really seen me use my magics. It attracts a lot of attention so when I came to see you all those hundreds of times, it has just been me. But I'm still the same person as all those times before."

"I know that, Krysta." Harry said honestly. He shook his head in confusion. "But you're not a witch, are you?"

She shook her head. "No. Witches and wizards use magic, I don't."

"Then how do you cast spells?"

"I don't."

"Then how did you do all that in the battle? How did you beat so many Death Eaters and Dementors? How did you do all that?"

"I don't use magic, I create magic."

Hermione dropped her cup into the saucer. "You're a source, aren't you?"

Krysta smiled and nodded.

"What's a source?" Ron asked confused.

Harry just shrugged and looked back at his sister. "What is a source?"

"Let me show you." Krysta sat back with a pixyish smile. "Witches and wizards use magic to do what they want," Krysta explained. "That's why you need a wand and a spell. You can't control magic without them and you can't get magic to do your will."

"Don't we just make it?" Ron asked.

"No, magic already exists. See?"

Krysta swept her hand over the kitchen table. Instantly, the room filled with golden sparkles filling the air, suspended but gently ebbing as it waves on the ocean.

"Whoa!" Ron exclaimed.

"I never get tired of this trick." Sirius said playfully sweeping a hand in the air and watching the little particles tumble around his fingers.

"This is magic?" Harry asked excitedly.

Krysta nodded. "You never usually see it. Scholars have been debating if magic is just in the air or if magical people just create it for centuries, but they still don't know the truth because only a source can illuminate static magic."

"But it is true." Hermione said, curiously poking the tiny particles. "The magic is just there all the time."

"Yep, now. Have you got your wand? Call something to you."

The teenage girl faltered. "Oh, um, like what?"

"Call for the sugar pot on the counter."

Hermione glanced, unsure but determined, at her friends and then raised her wand. " _Accio_ sugar pot."

Everyone gasped as the magical particles gathered together in a split second, forming a wispy rope which stretched out from her waiting hand to the sugar pot across the table and wrapped around it.

The pot snapped into Hermione's waiting hand.

"Awesome!" Ron exclaimed with an excited gasp. "Did you see the magic move! Can I try?"

"Sure." Krysta sat back. "Try transfiguring something. Remember, keep the image of what you want the object to transform into clear in your mind."

Ron raised his wand above the sugar pot. " _Geminio_!"

Again, the magic gathered around the pot in a split-second and remoulded its shape into a salt shaker.

"Cool," Harry said, enthralled.

"Cool indeed." Lupin said, half listening as he opened the newspaper to a middle page to show Sirius. "We don't create magic at all; we just command the magic that is already around us. The wand concentrates your will or intent and the spell tells the magic what to do. We just need a path and an action and we are witches and wizards." He chuckled. "But Krysta doesn't need either one."

The teenagers watched eagerly as Krysta leaned forward and held her hand in the space beside the new salt shaker.

"I don't use magic," Krysta told them. "I'm a source of magic – I create it."

Her palm shimmered for a moment and outburst a cloud of pure white power that then burst into new golden sparkles to add to the rest of the magic surrounding them.

"I make new magic and I can ask it to do whatever I want."

The young woman took her hand back from the new pool of magic, and clicked her fingers. It instantly gathered together and formed as perfect copy of Ron's salt shaker.

There were stunned gasps from the teenagers.

Krysta smiled. "And I can ask it to reform in any way I want."

She clicked her fingers again – a millisecond later it was an alarm clock that started going off.

As everyone laughed, Harry shut off the alarm.

"So that's why you have no wand." He reiterated. "That's how you changed the filling of Ron's coat to lambs' wool too and sent all those curses back to the Death Eaters."

Krysta nodded. "I control magic as well as create it. That's why they can't take me down unless they are in force or have something precious to me. It's why I've never let you remember me all your life. Voldemort is always after me because he wants power and can create it on a biblical scale." She sighed deeply. "When I threw you to Hagrid and everyone had retreated, I wasn't using my full power. It was half at most."

Startled, Dante glanced sharply at her. "That wasn't full power?"

His wife shook her head. "No, it didn't need it. The blast radius was only ten miles."

Having been only half-listening, all the adults now focused on the conversation.

"But you knocked me out," Dante said again. "You were so strong Norbert had to take the brunt of it for me and you still knocked me out and yourself."

"I didn't use full power, Dante."

Silence fell.

"Krysta…" Sirius asked slowly. "How powerful are you now?"

"I don't know." She told him honestly. "As I've got older, they're growing stronger." Krysta looked at her godfathers. "You know what my father could do; he was way more powerful than I am now and it's still growing thanks to his gift."

"What was the gift?" Harry asked. "You told me he gave something to you before he died."

The other nodded. "My father was a source too, but he was a pure one. My mother was human and he fell in love with her even though he wasn't meant to. Then there was me. I am meant to be half as powerful as him, but that night, he gave me all his power and asked me to protect it; he couldn't let anyone else have control."

"What was it?" Ron asked, intrigued.

"My heart." Krysta told them. "My father gave me his heart. He was pure source and now I am too." she glanced at Dante. "during the battle, Dante knew I was mad when I saw Bellatrix had you, Harry. That woman deserved so much more than just a broken jaw for everything she's done, but the nature of my power is dangerous even to everyone here."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "You hurt us too?"

Krysta nodded. "I have the heart of a Pure Source, so I cannot harm the innocent or the pure – my magic doesn't work on them at all. I can't affect children or puppies or little chicks, nothing that is virtuous. But any tiny little inklings of ill-thoughts and you get creamed as well. That's why the Order had to scatter before I could decimate the army. I had to throw you to Hagrid to protect you as well, Harry. Usually he catches me when I drain of power and fall, but I called him to catch you. I can't supercharge the magic when you were with me; I'd hurt you too."

"Are you saying I'm not innocent or pure?" Harry asked.

Krysta grinned, her amber eyes sparkling. "You're a sixteen-year-old teenage boy – would you say you're pure?"

Harry blushed bright red making everyone burst out laughing.

"So that's why Dante got whacked too and had to use Norbert as a shield." Hermione mused.

Dante nodded. "Dragons are magical creatures, they can withstand pretty much anything, but the magical surge drains them too. When I took Norbert back to Romania, Charlie was convinced the dragon had gone on a massive stag-party bender."

"Wait a minute," Ron said. "Hagrid was there too, how come you didn't flatten him?"

Krysta laughed. "My magic doesn't work on Hagrid. His heart is always pure. There's always that handful of people who are just good all the way through and even I can't harm them." She cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. "It doesn't work on Neville either."

The teenagers gasped.

"Neville Longbottom?" Hermione said incredulously.

"Yeah. I met him when Harry started at Hogwarts. He was very sweet, he used to tell me all about you, Harry. He would let me know when you had quidditch matches, how you were doing at school, if there was anything weird going on, if that Malfoy kid had insulted you kids or Neville's parents and needed an ass-kicking, the works."

"You did that for Harry and Neville too?" Ron asked, strangely heartened.

Krysta nodded. "Neville's parents were lovely people. I stayed with them for a few days when I was little until Dumbledore took me to Hogwarts. They were so nice to me. They encouraged me to play and talk and told me about Hogwarts and all the amazing things that I just had to play with in Dumbledore's office. They told me to go and learn and keep learning, the whole world was out there to be discovered."

Harry's heart thudded. "Neville said that to me once."

"And me." Hermione said. She sighed deeply. "His parents said it to him too."

"I was so sad to hear what happened to them," Krysta said. "So I told Neville if that bleach-job kid says a word wrong about them, I'll give him the fright of his life. That Malfoy kid really is thick though, you'd think he'd learn to stop being a dick when I made him wet himself the first time. But no. Dozens of ass-kickings later, he's still an arrogant little so and so."

"Krysta, I told you about terrorising the Malfoy boy." Lupin said scoldingly.

"And I ignored you every time, Uncle Remus." She replied sweetly. "You know he deserves it. Just wish I could do it to his smug daddy as well."

The teenagers cheered in agreement and the adults sighed.

"Hang on," Hermione said. "We're still missing something. How come Dante can command magic too. you don't use a wand either."

Dante picked up another breadstick. "I don't need one, but I'm not like Krysta."

"Then what are you?" Harry asked curiously.

"I'm a source as well, but I don't create pure magic." Dante leaned forward over the table and looked into the teenagers' eyes with an unsettling grinned. "I create tainted magic."

Harry's chair rocked backwards on his legs as the very same terrifying flash of blood red burned through Dante's eyes, quickly catching both his friends as they too bolted back.

Krysta sighed. "Dante, stop scaring children."

"That was so funny!" he replied. He held out his hands as a peace offering. "Sorry, sorry, I won't do it anymore, I swear."

"Cross your heart?" Hermione asked.

"Sure, why not?"

"That was funny though." Sirius said stifling a chuckle.

Lupin elbowed him in the ribs too.

Somewhere else in the house, the phone rang.

"That's probably Arthur with more news." Lupin said, standing up. "You should robably hear this, Sirius."

Sirius nodded. "The Order is still digging for info – don't go anywhere for now."

"Okay." Chorused a series of voices.

The elder men left leaving the teenagers and the young couple together.

"So, there are two types of sources." Krysta continued as the kitchen door closed. "Pure sources and Dark sources. I can create pure magic and Dante can create dark magic."

"I have a dark heart," Dante told them. "But before you freak out, I'm half human, my mother was a muggle and my father was a dark source. So I'm only half – that's why Krysta's more powerful than me so much so that she can damage me too with raw bursts like Diagon Alley, so had to run off too. I have a human heart and soul – and I choose not to kill good guys."

Harry's mind flashed back to the battle scene he had witnessed. "The red magics, that was your power. That's why your sword can kill the dark wizards and carve straight through their curses – you can control the curses."

"You are a smart kid." Dante said in surprise, he glanced at his wife. "I thought you said he was a slow student."

"I did not say that." Krysta said instantly mortified. She looked at her brother apologetically. "I said lazy. A lazy student."

"That's not nice either, you know." Harry said reproachfully.

"Then why are your test scores average at best? You seem smart enough when we talk, why don't you apply yourself?"

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

"We are pretty lazy," Ron admitted. "It's not exactly untrue."

Krysta smiled and Harry made a face at her.

"Anyway," Dante said grinning that he'd made the siblings argue. He clicked his fingers and illuminated the hidden golden magical sparkles again. "Krysta can create pure magic and I can create dark magic – which is what all the bad guys use when throwing curses around – you lot too when you cast curses or hexes. That's the dark arts."

He opened his palm upwards. His skin glistened blood-red from a moment, then a deep black cloud shimmering darkly swelled just above his palm.

"Dark magic and pure magic don't mix." Dante told him. "It can even infect pure magic if the will of the witch or wizard is strong enough. You might recognise this one."

The teenagers watched as the dark cloud suddenly sent out slimy little black tendrils into the golden magics surrounding it, catching the like fireflies and turning the golden light deep black and puling it back in. The cloud expanded as it devoured the pure magic into itself and gained an emerald green tinge.

"Bloody hell," Ron murmured. "Is that…one of the forbidden curses?"

Dante nodded. "It has no destination, so it just sits there and gathers power. But like I said, I control dark magics."

The teenagers jumped out of their skin as Dante's deadly sword suddenly appeared right in front of their eyes.

"Relax." Dante said grinning. "Rebellion can't hurt you. She doesn't carve up kids. But, she can destroy dark magics the same way I can create it."

He passed the atomic sharp blade through the angry little cloud and it instantly imploded into nothingness.

"My father made Rebellion when dark wizards and witches discovered he'd fallen for my human mother. They didn't want anyone to hurt her, so he created the sword to destroy the dark magics if needed to protect my mother and me. Now I use it to protect my wife and her baby brother and anyone else who deserves it."

"What happened to your parents?" Hermione asked.

For a moment, Dante's cocky mask fell from his stunning face making everyone freeze for a split second.

"I-I'm sorry-," Hermione stuttered, instantly mortified.

But she didn't need to be.

Dante looked at Krysta's hand covering his on the table stop and couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips. Beside him, his wife didn't say anything or even look at him, she just picked up her tea with her free hand and took a sip.

Harry saw Dante's instant change and marvelled. With just one touch from someone who loved him, the sudden sorrow that had so taken over Dante in that split-second was quelled. And Krysta hadn't even said a word.

The mask was pulled back a moment later. "Anyway," Dante said cheerfully. "I might not be a fully dark source, but I get to wreck lots of bad guys days so I'm happy."

Harry smiled. "You were having fun in the battle, weren't you?"

"Oh yeah, best kind of workout." Dante leant Rebellion back against the wall and swept away the golden sparkles back in the normality of the kitchen. "I am half dark magic, I can't always ignore the beast inside. I might as well unleash it on people as bad to bone as me."

Krysta chuckled and slipped a had under her husband's chin and drew his face to hers. "You're not bad to bone, Dante. And you really should ignore the beast if you feel the need to scare a bunch of kids."

Dante grinned. "I've had my fill, no more, I swear."

His wife just smiled.

Opposite them, the teenagers watched in awe.

"You're really married, aren't you?" Hermione stated.

"Yeah," Harry added, just as wondrously. "Like proper married."

The young couple laughed.

"I know," Dante aid relaxing back in his chair. "I am far too hot, aren't I? It's amazing anyone could bag me."

Krysta laughed. "Yes, I'm sure that's what they meant."

"I mean, look how pretty I am. You're so lucky."

Krysta pulled her hand away from his. Then laughed again as he grasped it again and adoringly kissed her knuckles.

"Anyway," Krysta said, trying to force the blush out of her cheeks. "That's the reason why I couldn't stay with you, Harry, after Mum and Dad. I attract a lot of danger – a lot more than you do because of what I am."

 _"_ _She can't stay here. It's too dangerous; especially with all the kids here under one roof…He wouldn't know if she kept her promise and stayed away! Now the children are all in danger because of her!"_

Ron's eyes were wide when he looked into Harry's. "That's what Mum was talking about – why our house was invaded when Charlie and Bill were little."

"Do you really attract more danger than I do?" Harry asked incredulously.

His sister nodded. "I can create magic which means I can create magic for any purpose, even the dark arts. Evil witches or wizards can just turn it dark and use the power for themselves. I can fuel a lot more magical power than anyone, even Voldemort. He is just a dark wizard, nothing more. He is nothing compared to Dante and me."

"Why don't you just join the Order and destroy him then?" Ron asked.

Krysta smiled. "You sounded like your father there; he's been asking me that for years."

"Well, why not?" Harry asked. "If you took down Voldemort, the threat would be gone and we could be -,"

Krysta's heart wrenched as the teenager cut himself off. She sighed deeply, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "You're asking me to be a murderer, Harry. Is that really what you want? You're also asking me to betray my father if I don't protect his power. If this is what you want, I will."

Harry's breath caught. He froze stock still as if petrified to his chair. He stared, stunned at his sister, wondering if he had heard correctly.

Krysta looked back at him sincerely. "My father was a Pure source too, Harry. He was extremely powerful like I am. He so often told our parents that he will not take sides or use his power to tip the balances – is it not fair or just to lend my power to anyone. I am not a powerful witch, Harry, I am a weapon of mass destruction. I can destroy entire countries."

Harry felt Hermione's fingers digging into his arm, but he didn't register the pang of pain.

Krysta cast serene, vivid amber eyes onto swirling blue ones of her baby brother. "My father asked me to keep the power safe. He believed we are not here to decide which side should be stronger, it's like using a sledgehammer to knock over a domino, our power should not be under anyone's control."

"But Voldemort is evil!" Hermione burst out starting everyone. "If you can just take him out, the world will be safe again!"

"Do you really think it will end there?" Krysta looked at the teenage girl as she faltered. "If I gave you a huge bar of that delicious chocolate Uncle Remus always has with him and told you, you only needed one bite to understand how delicious it was – would you stop there? Or would you be tempted to eat more?"

The girl quietened, thinking about this.

"You seem like a strong-willed girl." Krysta said. "You could probably withhold the chocolate for a long time - days, months, possibly years, but could you hold out forever before succumbing to another bite? That delicious chocolate is right there in your reach and you just have to leave it alone… then you start to think it can't possibly hurt to have one more bite."

The teenagers thought about this.

"So, if you do this," Harry said slowly. "You're giving us an unfair advantage. You're doing what Michael refused to do. He fought Voldemort and stood down at the last second because he needed to protect you, but also…" He shook his head. "…he couldn't fight for one side because they would never stop hounding him to give more and more. He had to destroy himself; it was the only way you could live and his power wasn't exploited. He didn't lend his power to anyone either; he didn't think it was right for anyone to influence his power."

Krysta smiled. Then cocked her head to one side, thoughtfully. "Why don't you perform better at school? Your brain clearly works."

Harry made a face at her, but couldn't keep the blush out of his cheeks. "I do try." He avoided Hermione's glare. "Sometimes."

"He's a guy," Dante said dismissively. "It's just a guy thing. It's easier to be lazy and copy off the smart chick. He'll grow up and then realise how much he regrets it – just like a guy."

Harry frowned and glanced at Ron. "Maybe we should try a bit harder."

"I was thinking that too."

Krysta and Hermione shared exasperated sighs.

"Is that why you guys are nomadic?" Hermione asked looking over the couple. "Mr Weasley said you can't stay in one place too long."

The young woman nodded. "I can't stay anywhere too long. Even as a child, it took less than a week for them to find me at the Weasley house. Then I was taken to Hogwarts and the attacks kept happening, but Dumbledore kept them at bay. I used my father's name when I was a student so no one knew I was related to Harry. After school finished, I moved around from place to place trying to be as normal as possible so I could just watch you grow up, Harry. It was lonely, but it was worth it."

"We travel a lot even now." Dante explained. "We spend maximum six months in a place before someone notices us and we have to scarper again. I was in Italy before I came to the Lake District and met Krysta."

"I was in Japan." Krysta said. "I was living in the beautiful mountainous forests for four months and slowly going mad with loneliness before another bunch of dark wizards caught up with me, so I want to the Lake District too. It was quite close to Hogwarts too so I could see Harry whenever I wanted. Then I met Dante." She chuckled. "I was building a house and he broke it with his dark magic. I was annoyed so I purified all of his dark magic and kicked him through a mountain."

"I still think that was overkill." Dante said reproachfully.

"You broke my house."

"I didn't mean to break it – I was aiming for you! You put me off!"

"How did I put you off?"

"I didn't realise how pretty you were until I was in mid-attack!"

Everyone stared at him in surprise.

Blushing, Dante looked away and folded his arms. "Nevermind."

"Anyway, that's how we met." Krysta told them, hiding her smile.

Hermione frowned thoughtfully. "You can purify dark magic back into the pure magic?"

"Yes, but it takes a hell of lot of energy." Krysta explained. "That's what I did that night of the attack. The Order had to scatter in case I hurt them, then I purified all the dark magics conjured. It was a shame so many of the Death Eaters died; they've cast so many curses, their souls have been eaten away so much there was nothing left to save. It's the only way except for Dante's sword to stop a Dementor too. They are the most heinous creatures, that's why they fear me and they lust after Dante. They want me dead because I can destroy them and Dante is a dark source – he's pretty much their sugar."

"That's not creepy at all." Dante remarked.

The teenagers stared at the couple for another long moment.

"So…" Harry started even though he felt like he pretty much knew the answer. "In muggle words, you guys are…"

The couple exchanged glances then smiled at him.

" _Angel_." Krysta said, her eyes blazing pure white.

" _Demon_." Dante said, his eyes smouldering blood red.

They stared thunder struck.

"How are you together?" Hermione asked, stunned.

"An angel and a demon are married?" Ron reiterated. "How does that happen?"

"The same way it usually does, Ron." Krysta laughed. "You meet someone who makes your heart thud when you look at them, makes you miss them when they're gone, even if they just leave the room – someone who you turn to because no one else can possibly understand what it's like to be you…except them."

Harry saw Ron and Hermione glance each other, even if it was only for a split second. He smiled.

"Mr Weasley said you are nomadic together." Harry said. "You're both hunted all the time, then you met and now you're hunted together."

Dante smiled, a real smile. "Yeah, not the most amicable meeting." He looked into his wife's eyes. "But it was what I needed; I'd been alone too long. She's my complete opposite, yet she makes me whole."

Hermione clasped her hands to her heart. "Awww, that so sweet."

Krysta smiled and cupped her husband's face in her hands, adoring that gorgeous face, that thick snow white hair to his jawline, those steel blue eyes and that wild nature so very much. "You know, you are allowed to be this sweet when you don't have an audience."

"I'm a massive show-off." Dante replied. "You knew that when you married me."

Krysta laughed. "I know."

The group laughed together again. It was strange, but wonderful too. It had been three days, but it felt like they'd been one family forever.

Harry gazed around the table. Sirius and Lupin were talking shop in the study. Hermione and Ron were still laughing and now fighting over the last croissant and Krysta and Dante were sharing a loving look and then an innocent kiss.

 _…_ _my godfathers…my best friends…my big sister…my brother-in-law…_

 _…_ _my family._

Harry sat back and revelled.

This was bliss.

For the whole day.


	15. Chapter 15

Harry smiled at the ceiling, watching how the weak light from the last candle made the shadows of the cornicing dance happily.

A quiet snore accented the calm air, making his smile grow even more.

On the other bed, Ron turned onto his side and snuggled into his pillow, accidently nudging Hermione who had fallen asleep beside him. She turned into him and nuzzled into his back, fast asleep too.

"Do they know yet?" Krysta asked softly.

Harry chuckled. "No, not yet."

His sister chuckled too. "I guess you kids are quite young."

Harry turned onto his side and propped himself up on an elbow. His big sister was lying beside him on her back, she too gazing up at the ceiling. One arm was tucked behind her head, letting her long dark hair trial off the edge of the bed, spilling off the side like a stream of dark water.

If she had been any other girl, he would've been embarrassed to death to have a girl in his bed so close to him. The sheer thought of it now made his very skin prickle with distaste, but it was different with Krysta. just like the first time she had held him close, the return hug was so automatic, so familiar, it was like he'd done it a million times before.

I have done it a million times before…

It was true. He could clearly remember so many times Krysta lay in bed with him, often cuddling him close as he cried or comforted him when he was depressed or just held him because the loneliness was so crushing, he was afraid he would lose himself under the weight.

Beside him, Krysta looked at her little brother. As she had done so many times so far, she reached up and brushed away the dark locks from his striking blue eyes.

"Are you okay, Harry?" she asked gently.

The teenager stared at her for a long moment. Then shook his head.

Krysta turned onto her side as well and frowned. "What is it?"

"I don't want you to go."

Harry hadn't meant to sound so distressed, nor did he mean to sound so childish either – but he didn't regret it either.

Suddenly, he was sitting up in the bed and enveloped in her embrace. She held him so tightly, so securely, Harry didn't even realise he was crying until the quiet sob wrenched through his whole body.

Like she always did, Krysta laid a hand reassuringly on the back of her brother's head and rested her head against his.

"I'm always here, Harry." She whispered, her own heart wrenching as she felt the silent sobs sear through him. "I'm always watching after you, I've never stopped for your whole life."

Harry grasped her even tighter, unable to stem the tears that burst out of him so uncontrollably. The fear he felt coursing through him was like nothing he had ever felt before. Not even when he faced Voldemort or the Dementors or even the reason for his parents' deaths, Peter Pettigrew – this was something deeper, darker and more frightening than anything else.

Gently, Krysta cuddled her brother close. Her head resting on her shoulder and his arms locked around her waist, Harry still couldn't bring himself to let her go. Her very soul sear feeling his trembling form against her. He was sixteen; almost six foot tall and becoming more muscled as he grew. Harry was so much like a man, yet still such a child inside, desperate for comfort and companionship.

On the other bed, Ron's eyes blearily opened and focused on the siblings. He blinked, wondering what had woken him up. Then he pushed himself onto his elbows, instantly awake as he heard his friend's stifled cries.

Silently, Krysta caught his gaze and gave him a tiny reassuring smile.

His heart aching at the sounds too, Ron nodded, trusting her judgement and lay down again. Within a few seconds, he was fast asleep again. He never noticed Hermione cuddling him from behind; it was so natural, he had assumed she had always meant to be there.

In her arms, Harry struggled to control himself and forced his lungs to take a few deep breaths.

"It will be okay, Harry." Krysta whispered, closing her eyes as tears filled them too. "It breaks my heart every time you do this."

The teenager didn't move. "Please don't leave me, Krysta. Take me with you."

Above him, Krysta sighed deeply, wishing more than he would ever know how much she wanted to do exactly what he asked. So many times she had been tempted in the past to steal him in the night and take him somewhere safe where he could know family and love and companionship. So many times she had magicked him away when he was little, wanting so badly to protect such an innocent little child from such gross negligence, it was beyond cruelty.

"Please take me with you."

Harry's voice was broken, quiet, so unlike his usual tone. The desperation had turned to begging.

Lovingly, Krysta stroked his hair. "Harry…" She said softly. "I wish I could make you understand-,"

"I do understand."

Finally, Harry drew back and looked at his elder sister. He saw the pain in her expression when she looked into his bloodshot eyes, puffy and raw as if he had been inconsolable for days.

"I understand what your life is like." Harry said again. "It doesn't matter; I just want to be with you."

Krysta cupped his face in her hands, holding his gaze for a long moment. "What about them?"

Startled, the teenager followed her glance.

On the other bed, Ron and Hermione continued to slumber, unaware of anything.

"I live in hiding all the time, Harry." Krysta told him. "I can't have friends or see my family whenever I wanted. Anyone close to me is a target or leverage to get to me. I decided a long time ago, I was going to be alone and it had to be this way. If you com with me, your life will be like that too." She slipped a hand under his chin and turned his gaze back to her. "Are you willing to give up your best friends? All those people you have gotten close to at Hogwarts? Even Uncle Sirius? He loves you as if you were his son, Uncle Remus too. They both used to hold you all the time when you were a baby and constantly ask Dad if they could keep you. Hagrid would be heartbroken if he never saw you again too and Mr and Mrs Weasley have practically adopted you. Can you really give up so many people who love you so much?"

Harry was lost for words. He hadn't really thought about all of the people who were around him. It had all just sort of happened, he didn't even clock how it did.

"Then there's Ginny."

Harry couldn't stop the sharp gasp that escaped his lips.

Krysta smiled. "Yes, I know. Everyone does. The way you look at her speaks so much more than words. Can you leave her behind too?"

The teenager looked away, his heart thudding hard and uncomfortably in his chest.

Krysta smiled suddenly. "You know, Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus are forever teasing me about Dante. He's got this bravado that he walks around with, all that cockiness and overconfidence, a real lad's lad – they still think it's hilarious and wonderful that I married him."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

"Because I married a man who is exactly like Dad." The young woman shook her head incredulously. "In the entire world, sources of magic like us are so extremely rare, Dante and I could be the last ones left, yet we met each other and it turned out he has the exact same traits as Dad which is why we click so well. He could be a cocky little so and so too. Uncle Sirius is always saying how Dad was far too confident about everything and was the first one to pass on the blame when it went wrong."

The teenager smiled, his heart lifting slightly but welcomingly. "Dante is like Dad?"

"Quite a lot according to the others." Krysta smiled at him. "And from everything you've told me about Ginny, she sounds exactly like Mum. Sweet, lovely, kind, willing to put up with you getting into trouble all the time and still able to bust you good when you need it."

"Was Mum like that too?"

"Yes. She was everything needed to reign in Dad when he went too far." Krysta took his hands in her own. "They didn't get on very well when they were young until Dad stopped being quite so ridiculous and showed her he really did have a heart under all that. Dante' like that too. you see it sometimes when he isn't paying attention."

Instantly, Harry's mind flashed back to how Dante had looked when Hermione had asked about his parents. It was so clear that all that bravado really was a mask to hide so much more including a good heart underneath.

 _She found a way to his real self just like Mum did with Dad…_

"I agreed to stay away from you, Harry, so you could have some semblance of a normal life." Krysta told him. "I know you feel so lonely, but you are not alone. If you come with me, you will be. You will have to leave all of this behind and be on the run with me and Dante. I can't think of anything worse for you than that. You won't be able to see everyone you care about whenever you like again. it was so lonely before I met Dante. I spent almost fifteen years with no one; I don't think I can condemn you to that."

Harry pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and thought about this. The idea of not being able to see Ron and Hermione every day to through his so painfully even he was surprised, but not as agonisingly as the idea of leaving Ginny and Sirius behind. He had found so much more than just a father-figure with Sirius, he couldn't bear the idea of losing that relationship.

 _He also lost Dad…he even calls me James sometimes…if I left, it might break him so much more than Azkaban…_

"Harry?"

Harry looked up at his sister, finally noticing the inconsolable tears had stopped along with the wrenching sobs. "I understand."

Krysta smiled ruefully and cupped his face in her hands again, lovingly wiping away the last remnants of his tears. "My life has been so all over the place, but you have been my one constant. Knowing you were always there at Privet Drive or at Hogwarts gave me a place to always come back to."

Harry smiled too. "I'm glad you have Dante too now."

"Me too – even if he can be giant, adorable idiot, but that's just boys for you."

Harry had to clap his hands over his mouth to stop the burst of laughter from waking his friends up.

"You'll be like that too one day." Krysta added, loving seeing him laugh. "I've seen you act like a total idiot enough times already."

"Like when?" Harry asked, affronted.

When the long, long list of incidents of Harry being an idiot started reaching the dozens, he reluctantly gave in.

His big sister chuckled seeing his glare. "See? this is the arguing I remember."

Together, they lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Where will you go tomorrow?" Harry asked wistfully.

"It's probably better if you don't know." Krysta replied. "Just know that I know where you are; don't ever try to find me. I'll find you."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

"I did want to show you one more thing before I left though."

"What is it?"

Krysta raised her hand above them and opened her palm to the ceiling. "I wanted to show you my memories, Harry." She looked into those lovely blue eyes as they turned to her. "You got to spend so little time with Mum and Dad, but you were a year old. For one year, we were a family."

She clicked her fingers.

Harry gasped as the ceiling shimmered like crystalline water in the moonlight. The magics rippled outwards and then started to sway and swirl, gradually forming images.

Like a giant, oval TV screen, Harry watched the events unfold.

 _The image of Dumbledore's office filled the ceiling along with a tiny little girl surrounded by books and trinkets and Fawkes poking at her for attention…and Mum._

 _Lily smiled as she kneeled down before the little girl. "Look at all this mess, Dumbledore won't be pleased."_

 _The little girl glanced around at the pile, one hand still stroking Fawkes. "There's no mess – this is learning."_

 _Lily smiled and laughed and laughed._

 _The image changed to the grounds outside of Hagrid's house on the grounds. There was a rope swing hanging from the jutting out roof beams at the side._

 _"_ _Higher!" The little girl cried in absolute bliss._

 _"_ _Higher still?" James exclaimed pushing the swing as it rocketed back toad's him. "What if you fly away?"_

 _"_ _I'll come back, I promise!"_

 _Lily held a hand to her lips. "James, she might fall like that."_

 _"_ _Nah, the lady asked to be pushed higher – so higher it is!"_

 _There was a shriek and a snap – then several cries._

 _"_ _Krysta_ _!"_

 _Hagrid laughed as the little girl giggled in his arms. He sat up and let the child kneel on his chest. "That was a close one, weren't it?"_

 _The little girl giggled and cuddled the man that dwarfed her so entirely. "Again! That was fun!"_

 _Pressing a hand to his racing heart, James dropped to his knees beside them. "Are you both okay?"_

 _"_ _Never better." Hagrid replied, brushing the girl's dishevelled hair back into place._

 _James sighed in relief. "God, you are fearless, aren't you, Krysta?" he didn't bother to turn around as he heard another harassed sigh. "I know, I know. Sorry."_

 _"_ _I should think so," Lily said holding out a hand for the girl to stand up. "Thank you, Hagrid. Krysta, James likes to push his luck – a lot – you are a smart girl like your Daddy, make sure you always think before you ask a boy to do anything. Boys don't like to think first – it leads to a lot of problems."_

 _Krysta grinned and bounced happily at her side as she cast sparkling amber eyes up at the young woman. "Okay. I will think first because boys don't always think first."_

 _Lily smiled and held her hand. "That's my girl."_

 _James blushed and Hagrid laughed, and together, the three of them went into Hagrid's house._

 _The scene changed again, back to Dumbledore's office._

 _"_ _You are quite sure?" Dumbledore asked for what seemed like the hundredth time._

 _"_ _Very sure." James said cuddling Krysta as she yawned in his arms and gradually fell asleep on his shoulder._

 _Lily gently brushed the child's long dark hair from her shoulder and stroked her head. "Very sure – I think I love her already."_

 _"_ _Same here." James whispered, his striking blue eyes softening. "It's been four days – are you supposed to fall in love so quickly?"_

 _"_ _I think I loved her the moment I stepped into this office."_

 _The young couple looked at the wise old wizard._

 _Dumbledore looked back. "She is a Pure Source. As sorceress of immense power, Michael entrusted her with his heart before he died; she will be hunted for her gifts for the rest of her life. If you do this, you will be too."_

 _The couple looked at each other and nodded. "We know."_

 _"_ _We are already hunted." Lily said resolutely. "It doesn't matter what she is, she's a little girl who is all alone in the world."_

 _James cuddled the child close, his eyes closing as she fell asleep. "She's so wonderful, how can we ever let her go?"_

 _Finally, Dumbledore smiled._

 _Then there was a hospital room. Daylight was streaming in from the vast windows and onto the bed currently holding three occupants._

 _"_ _What do you think, Krysta?" Lily said to the excited nine-year-old beside her._

 _"_ _I like it." Krysta replied. Gently as she could, she drew down the soft baby blanket and looked in awe at the tiny little baby in her mother's arms. "Dad will love it too. Harry James Potter."_

 _Lily chuckled lightly and glanced over at the old sofa next to the window currently holding a sleeping and decidedly haggard-looking young man._

 _"_ _I'm quite glad Dad fell asleep; I think he was more of a handful than having a baby."_

 _Krysta giggled. "He'll get used to it. Boys don't think first, only afterwards."_

 _Lily laughed and rested her head against her daughter's as the two of them gazed at the tiny little baby. "I think you're right, sweetheart." She glanced at her girl and her boy in her arms. "A son and a daughter – my life is complete." She glanced over at James. "And a husband too. I can't think of anything more perfect."_

 _Krysta leaned down and kissed the baby's forehead. "It's gonna be great, Harry." She whispered. "We'll have so much fun!"_

 _So very happy, Lily cuddled her children to her._

 _There were more images to follow. Images of baby Harry being entertained by James, being comforted by Lily, being played with by Krysta. Dining around a tiny little table and a high chair for the baby. Images of Hagrid visiting and breaking sofas to both children's delight. Of Sirius holding baby Harry at a tiny but beautiful little church as he was christened, then playing with him endlessly and struggling to hive him to Lupin to have a play too while James just laughed at his two best friends. There were so many memories of playing; a whole year of them. Even when hiding, Krysta and Harry placed with their parents, with their uncles, and dined so many times together over and over enjoying their tiny little piece of bliss the six of them had created._

Krysta turned onto her side and tucked an arm under her head. Harry was still watching her memories, enthralled as if this was a long awaited movie that was even better than expected. She saw how his blue e flickered, wide and stunned, wanting more and more to get up and dive into the memories and live inside them forever.

Smiling gently, she reached up and stroked his hair. Harry didn't notice the ripple of magic over her skin.

"Go to sleep, Harry." She whispered. "Remember everything and go to sleep."

Really not wanting to, but unable to fight the drowsiness, Harry's eyes slipped closed.

With a wave of her hand, the rolling memories dismissed back into magic and the final candle swept out. Feeling tired too, Krysta grasped her brother's hand and closed her eyes too.


	16. Chapter 16

It was that same sensation.

The very same sense that had elicited such dread over the years, there was no doubt what it was.

Krysta's eyes opened.

It was still dark. The whole house was still asleep. Save for the occasional settling creak of the house, there was nothing else.

But she knew better.

Sitting up from the bed, she swung her legs off the side and stood up.

Before her, Kreacher kept his head bowed, eyes squeezed shut, hand pressed to his heart and knees firmly to the floorboards.

"Tell me." Krysta said to him.

Kreacher finally looked up at her, his usually devious and angry eyes full of nothing but devotion and adoration. "They are nearby."

Silently, Krysta crossed the room to the vast windows. Sidestepping beside the frame, she pressed her back to the wall and very carefully parted the curtains with a finger.

Outside, the London street looked like any other in the dead of night. The street lamps were on, casting an eerie yellow glow over the wet street lined with cars and dappled with the spindly branches of the overhanging trees from the small park opposite the house.

It was completely normal – save for one thing.

One of the streetlamps was flickering. Not often, but often enough to be noticed.

"Have they seen through the filter yet, Kreacher?"

"No, my Divine. They are nearby. Kreacher noticed the lamp moments before you woke."

Her heart pounding, Krysta carefully replaced the curtains and looked down at the house elf. She laid a hand on his head. "Thank you, Kreacher."

The house elf looked like he was going to explode with happiness. "Anything for you, my Divine."

Krysta knelt down silently to him. "Wake your master and tell him the safe house is close to being discovered, we must all leave very quietly and perform the lockdown. Tell him I've taken the kids and not to come up here; we're already gone. Just leave the house. Uncle Sirius needs to get himself and Uncle Remus out in his animagus form before the lockdown. Be silent, Kreacher, and get yourself somewhere safe too."

"Always so kind to me, my Divine. I will do all you ask of me."

With a low bow and a shimmer of magic, the elf was gone.

Krysta silently stepped back to the beds – and clamped a hand over both Harry and Ron's mouths. Eyes opened, instantly panicked.

Hermione gasped awake too, then instantly stopped seeing the young woman. The teenagers sat up and stared at her in shock. Before they could say anything, she held a finger to her lips.

Her look alone made them freeze in their tracks.

Through the curtained windows, the streetlamps flickered, quicker than before.

"What's wrong?" Harry whispered, pulling his glasses on.

Krysta held out a hand to Harry and to Hermione, gesturing to Ron to hold onto theirs as well.

"We are in danger." She said quietly. She tightened her grip on the teenagers; hands. "The house is going into lockdown at any moment. I need you to take a deep breath and hold it."

"W-what're you gonna do?" Ron asked fearfully.

"What's lockdown?" Hermione asked.

Krysta pulled herself closer to them. "Hold your breath. And hold onto each other."

Terrified now, the kids did as they were told.

And they still weren't prepared.

On the verge of heaving, Harry doubled over on the hardwood floor. The world was still spinning sickeningly as if he'd eaten far too much ice-cream and then went on rollercoaster twenty times. Vaguely, he heard retching beside him, but barely registered it, nor the hands that grasped him and forced him onto his back.

It took several minutes for the vile nausea to dissipate.

"Harry?" Ron groaned, finally clocking he was lying on the floor beside his friend. "You dead?"

"I'm not sure." Harry said honestly.

On his other side, Hermione rolled onto her side, clutching her stomach. "That was horrible."

"Don't move for a few minutes, it'll pass." Krysta's voice said, floating through their still milky audio field. "Sorry, we had to make a quick exit so couldn't bind the magic properly."

Finally, the ceiling stopped being a blurred mass and solidified into a vaulted wooden frame complete with intricately carved struts criss-crossing the space above them in a beautiful pattern.

Feeling better, Harry slowly sat up. The world spun a little more, making his whole body convulsed as the sickly sensation came back.

"Easy there," Krysta's voice said. He felt hands grasp him and pro him against the side of a sofa. "Deep breaths."

Another moment later, he felt much better. Then glanced in confusion at his friends sitting up against furniture all around him.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked, anxiously.

Harry looked around. They were in what looked like a cabin out of one of those travel brochures about Scandinavia. There was wood everywhere, beautifully carved and glazed, from the ceiling to the walls to the tiny living room they were currently sitting in surrounded by wooden furniture, several sheepskins and a blazing open fireplace just before them.

"Here, drink this." Krysta said appearing out of nowhere with a tray of hot chocolates. "It will counteract the nausea."

Taking the drinks, the four of them clustered around the fireplace on the sheepskin rug and stared at her.

"Er, Krysta?" Harry said, his eyes wide. "What just happened?"

The young woman shook her head. "Sorry about the quik exit. I don't know how, but there were Dementors near the house and no doubt Death Eaters too. God knows how they knew to look here, but the good news is they hadn't found Ucle Sirius's house yet."

"Oh god…" Hermione murmured.

"What about Sirius and Lupin?" Ron asked anxiously.

"I told Kreacher to warn them and put the house into lockdown. I'm sure they got out too."

"Are you sure?" Harry reiterated worriedly.

"God, I hope so."

"Wait a minute," Hermione said incredulously. "That evil little house elf warned the others? Are you sure he did it?"

"I'm sure." Krysta told her. "Kreacher cannot disobey his master or me."

"Why not?"

"He thinks I'm a goddess."

Krysta stood up, either ignoring or not seeing their stunned stares. "Kreacher came to get me when he noticed the lamplights flickering in the streets. I had woken up too; I could already feel their presence. Dementors interrupt electrical fields so they often make lights flicker when they are nearby; humans can't see them, but they can't quite hide either. I had to get you all out so the lockdown can take place."

"What's the lockdown?" Hermione asked, noticing for the first time there was a tiny little kitchenette attached to the small living room where Krysta was now cutting some fresh bread on the island counter.

"It's the failsafe on Uncle Sirius's house." Krysta explained. "It's the last resort if the house is about to be discovered. The lockdown hides the house permanently by displacing it in time. That's why all the occupants have to be out of the house before it's initiated. The house cannot be discovered by anyone when in lockdown. When it's safe and the Death Eaters move on, having found nothing, everyone can go back."

"So where are we now?" Harry asked, looking around.

Before she could answer, the living room door opened – and a mostly-naked Dante stepped through. Dressed in only his black boxer shorts and rubbing a towel through his wet hair, Dante looked absolutely edible. He really did have the most perfectly sculpted male anatomy in the whole world.

Dante stopped short seeing everyone staring at him.

"Er, hello." He said awkwardly. He glanced at his wife in the kitchenette. "I thought you were coming home tomorrow."

"I was." Krysta said, circling the counter to kiss him on the cheek, so very pleased to see him. "Something happened."

Dante glanced at the teenagers again. "Did you kidnap them?"

"No," Krysta said with a grudging smile. "But you need to put some clothes on before I explain everything. There is an impressionable teenage girl here."

"Huh? Oh, right."

Dante vanished through the door again.

Unable to keep the blush out of her cheeks, Krysta picked up the plate of fresh bread and kneeled on the carpet with the teenagers again. "Sorry about that. We don't usually have visitors and Dante isn't a fan of clothes at home. You're quite lucky he was wearing underwear."

"Oh wow…" Hermione said, her eyes wide and shining. "He's so very…"

She trailed off seeing Ron's thunderous look.

Harry cleared his throat loudly and took a slice of bread to settle his still queasy stomach. "So this is your house?"

"At the moment." Krysta nodded, encouraging the others to eat the bread to counteract her earlier magics. "It's tiny, but we love it already. We've been here a few days now. We had to leave Australia quite quickly."

"What happened?" Hermione asked sharply. "Did the Death Eaters find you?"

Krysta shook her head and smiled a little shamefully. "No…I didn't realise how gigantic the spiders were until I found one in our house. I pretty much ran screaming and Dante had to come get me when I refused to set foot in the house again. He thought it was hilarious."

"I totally understand." Ron said sincerely, unable to hide his shiver.

Krysta smiled. "Since I'd chosen Australia, Dante got to choose the next destination."

"So where are we?" Harry asked glancing around again.

"Norway." Dante said walking back in, now sufficiently covered with a white shirt and black jeans.

" _Norway_?!"

"That's why you all feel a bit sick." Krysta told them apologetically. "I don't usually have passengers and I had to weave the magic quite quickly. Now we're in Norway."

"Yep. Very beautiful, very cold and very empty." Dante dropped into the armchair beside them. "That almost sounds like an advert for me."

Krysta stood up and kissed him on the cheek. "No, it doesn't. Except for the beautiful bit."

Dante smiled. "So what happened?" he asked, surveying he room again. "If this isn't a kidnapping, why did you bring the kids here?"

"The house is in lockdown." Krysta told him gravely. "I sensed the Dementors nearby again. I sent Kreacher to warn Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus to get out too."

"Everyone's definitely out?" Dante repeated, instantly serious. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know. I just took the kids and ran. I couldn't risk it."

Dante stood up again. "Where would they go?"

"They should go to the Weasley house." Krysta said. "No one knows that Uncle Sirius is still around; it's only other safe place." She glanced at the teenagers. "I'll send them all when they've recovered too. Everyone must be going spare."

Dante nodded and grabbed his blood-red trench coat and Rebellion currently hanging on the wall above the fireplace. "I'll check. Don't do anything until I get back. Keep the kids safe."

"I will."

In a plume of black smoke, Dante was gone.

"You're gonna send us back too?" Harry said instantly.

Krysta nodded. "Everyone will be there. Don't worry, Dante is actually much better at staying in the shadows than I am. As soon as the Death Eaters find nothing and move away, everyone can go back to Sirius's house."

"Thank goodness," Hermione sighed.

"I'll say." Ron agreed.

"I don't want to go back." Harry pushed himself up and stumbled onto the sofa with his sister. "I want to stay with you, Krysta."

"Harry, we had this conversation last night. There's a reason why you can't stay with me. I'll be condemning you to a life on the run like us."

"I don't care." Harry said resolutely. "You're my sister. I want to be with you."

"Then say goodbye to Ron and Hermione."

The teenager stopped, stunned. His heart thudded as those striking blue eyes filled with dread. "What?"

"You do have a choice, Harry." Krysta told him. "You are my baby brother, you belong with us, but I'm asking you to give up far too much. If you really want to stay, say good bye to your friends. You can't see them again without bringing all the dangers that follow you and all that follow me as well. you will become a target as leverage to get me to do someone else's bidding. If you go back to see your friends, you might get them killed. So say goodbye now."

Shocked to the core, Harry stared at her, then turned to his friends. Now huddled together on the floor, Ron and Hermione clutched each other, the same look of fear plastered on both their faces.

"Harry, you're not seriously…" Ron's voice trailed off.

Hermione forced herself to get a grip and grasped his arm. "Ron, if this is what Harry wants, we should respect it."

"But -,"

"What if it was your family? Or mine? Even if they drove me nuts, I'd do anything to stay with them. If this is what Harry wants…"

Ron looked at his best friend again, reluctantly backing down. "Harry?"

Harry stared at them for a long moment. They had only met four years ago, yet it was like he had known them forever. He loved them both so much, words couldn't even express it. He had no idea how to say goodbye. It felt like trying to rip hiss heart out with his bare hands.

"You can't go back and say goodbye to Sirius or Lupin either." Krysta said softly behind him. "The last time I saw my godfathers was two years ago. I only returned to look for Uncle Sirius when he escaped and I was almost captured. If I took you back to say goodbye, anyone might follow us back to Norway and we'll have to move again or worse."

Finally Harry looked back at his sister. "Would you really let me stay with you?"

Krysta smiled and brushed back his wild locks from his hair. "In a heartbeat. This house has two bedrooms; all of our houses have had two bedrooms, even before Dante. There has always been a room for you if you chose to come with me, Harry. Sometimes I create a house with four bedrooms if Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus ever wanted to join me. They never do; just like Mum and Dad, their allegiances is to the Order of the Phoenix and protecting the magical world from the dark arts. But I live in hope."

Harry sat back on the sofa and relaxed into the sheepskin, vaguely noticing how warm and comforting it was.

"So…" Hermione said after a moment. "Are you staying or coming with?"

Harry smiled. "Coming with. Krysta's right. She usually is."

Krysta smiled too. "Perks of being the elder sister." She stood up. "Is everyone feeling okay now?"

There was a range of agreements.

"We have to wait until Dante comes back with the all clear so I suggest you all get some rest. You can stay here, or you can use Harry's room if you like. I'll wait up and boost the protection around the house."

A few minutes later, the three of them were piled into the small but perfect second bedroom. There were three beds in total. A bunkbed and a double, both finely carved out of wood to match the rest of the house along with a roaring open fire, large full length windows and more sheepskin to make the room cosy and warm.

"Looks like Krysta expected you to bring guests." Hermione remarked seeing the beds.

"I call top bunk." Ron said with a grin. "I never get the top bunk at our house."

"Sure." Harry said, knowing all too well how true that was.

"Hey, look at this."

The boys joined Hermione at the window. Then gasped in admiration too. the house overlooked a spectacular mountain range. Despite the early hours of the night, the very first rays of sunrise were occurring in the far distance, illuminated night sky on the horizon to frame the stunning snow-capped scenery of the mountains which faded into the deep black of the night sky shimmering with hundreds of millions of stars and tumbling nebulas.

"Whoa…" The boys murmured.

After a few more minutes of stunned staring, the teenagers slid into the beds and Hermione magicked the fire to a dull ember.

As the darkness enclosed them, Hermione snuggled into the warm sheets of the double bed. "Thanks for the bed, Harry."

"Sure." He replied turning onto his side to see her. Harry sighed deeply. "Do you think I should stay with Krysta? What if it was just for a little while?"

"If you want to, then say goodbye to us."

Again, that very same feeling of tearing his heart out with his bare hands rose up uncontrollably inside him.

On the top bunk, Ron grinned. "We love you too, Harry."

Chuckling, the three of them relaxed and closed their eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

"Uncle Sirius." Krysta said in surprise.

"I'm sorry," Sirius said transforming from his dog form back into his normal self so he could hug his goddaughter. "I made Dante bring me, I was scared out of my mind about you kids."

Krysta melted into his hug, feeling so incredibly relieved to see him as well. after a long moment, she looked up at her beloved godfather. "Is everyone else okay?"

Sirius nodded. "Just freaked out. Molly's dying to see the kids too. When Remus and I got to the Weasley house and you kids weren't there, everyone panicked. Then Dante showed up and said everyone was safe with you. Kreacher told me, but I was scared anyway."

Krysta smiled reassuringly. "Did they find the house?"

"No," Dante said, laying Rebellion on the kitchen counter. "I watched the place for a few hours. The Death Eaters didn't see anything and moved on. I'd give it a day or two before everyone heads back though, just in case."

Relieved, the three of them collapsed onto the sofas.

"What a night." Sirius sighed. He cuddled Krysta as she snuggled into him. "I almost wet myself when Kreacher appeared in front of me. Did he see them first?"

"I woke up after I sensed them nearby. Kreacher was already kneeling beside me; he'd seen the street lights flickering. I didn't know how close they were so I just took the kids and sent Kreacher to tell you to lockdown the house." Krysta slipped an arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest, suddenly feeling sleepy. "The kids are all asleep in Harry's room."

Sirius smiled above her. "You still create a room for Harry?"

"For you as well, uncle."

The elder man cuddled the girl he loved so much close. "I wish we could all be together."

"Me too."

Across from them, Dante smiled seeing his wife so content she was falling asleep. "That does sound nice." He stood up. "Why don't you stay here for the night, Sirius? The kids are asleep, Krysta is pretty much asleep on you too, so you might as well."

The elder man sighed deeply, torn, then relented. His girl was fast asleep on his chest and holding onto him the same way she did as a child. There was no way he could move without waking her.

"I left my rembrall with the Weasleys, so I'll send them a message." Dante said, standing up and stretching. "You guys get some rest. I wasn't planning doing anything until Krysta came home anyway." He grinned. "I get the big bed all to myself for one more night."

Sirius chuckled. "Yes, Krysta told me you hog the bed."

"See, that's where she's got it wrong – Krysta hogs all the bed and duvet and warmth and, quite a few times, the fire too." Dante frowned in misunderstanding. "Why don't chicks have any body heat? Luckily, I'm a big, strong guy, so I forgive my gorgeous wife."

"Are you just saying that because she's asleep and can't hear you?"

"Of course – d'you think I'm nuts? She'll kill me if I said that in front of her."

Sirius smiled at the young man, his heart swelling. "You remind me of James so very much, Dante."

Dante grinned and ticked off a salute. "I live to please." He picked up the cotton blanket draped over the back of his armchair and covered Krysta and Sirius with it. "Rest up, I'll keep watch tonight, just in case. Buckbeak's been bugging me to let him stretch his wings anyway."

Moments later, the tiny little house was silent save for Krysta's gentle breathing, and some light footsteps.

Sirius smiled. "Come here, Harry."

Another moment later, the teenager was cuddled up to his godfather on the opposite side to his sleeping sister. The three of them relaxed back into the sofa under the cosy blanket.

Above them both, Sirius smiled, so very happy, he could burst right then and there.

"I honestly never thought I would hold you both like this again." He whispered, tears stinging his eyes. "You were a little baby the last time this happened."

Harry smiled lightly, resting his head on the elder man's chest so he could hear his strong, protective heartbeat.

"I saw." He told the other. "Krysta showed me her memories. We had a lot of good times together."

Sirius chuckled. "So many times James said I should change into a dog permanently and be a loving pet to you kids. I wanted so much to be part of your lives; he actually wanted me to be a part of the family."

"You are, Sirius." Harry said honestly. He snuggled into his godfather. "You're like our dad."

Above him, the elder man's breath caught, unable to express the joy he felt at the boy's simple words.

"I love you as much as Krysta does, Sirius," Harry whispered. He closed his eyes as fatigue washed over him. "I wish more than anything we can all be together, but I understand why we can't. So I'll settle for this right now."

Sirius held his kids close and closed his eyes, resting his head against Harry's. "You are so much like James in so many ways, Harry." He whispered. "I loved him so much, but honestly – thank god you got Lily's heart. If you were James right now, I guarantee he would've said something much stupider and ruined the moment."

Harry buried his face in Sirius's shirt trying to stem the laughter so he didn't wake his sister up.

Sirius laid a hand on the back of Harry's head just like Krysta did. "Go to sleep, Harry."

Harry closed his eyes and enjoyed the happiest memory created in a long time; falling asleep on the sofa with his surrogate father and big sister.

Then sleep claimed him too.


	18. Chapter 18

There was a lot of clanging going on and even more whispered shouting.

Harry ignored it all. He was too warm and content and enjoying snuggling into this warm, breathing pillow far too much to let it go.

Vaguely, in the back of his mind, something about that seemed odd.

 _"_ _You're gonna wake everyone!"_

 _"_ _Sorry, it just slipped."_

 _"_ _Get out of the kitchen, would you? I'll make the tea. Go get some more firewood from outside."_

 _"_ _It's bloody cold out there!"_

 _"_ _There's a closet over there, see if you can borrow Dante's jacket."_

 _"_ _Alright, fine. Maybe I'll see Dante and Buckbeak coming back with breakfast."_

A light smile gracing his lips, Harry kept his eyes closed and cuddled the fluffy, warm, breathing pillow again.

 _…_ _fluffy…warm…breathing…pillow…_

He frowned. There was something wrong there.

Unable to stop his body waking up, Harry sighed deeply and let go of the wonderful sleep cycle.

His eyes opened. It was bright with morning sunlight streaming into the tiny house from the vast windows. Despite the snow-capped mountains, the light was golden and warm, casting invitingly over him as it flooded the room.

Harry blinked and felt the warm, dark fur under his cheek where he lay. It was silky and soft and so inviting to stay snuggled against it. It was also breathing.

 _Breathing dark fur?_

Slowly, Harry sat up.

The huge black dog stirred. Nestled happily on the sofa, his front paws crossed with his formidable head resting on top, the dog yawned in his sleep, displaying ferocious fangs in a powerful jaw before settling back onto the sofa.

On the dog's back, Krysta stirred too, but didn't wake. The front of her body draped over the animal's back, she tightened her arms around his body and turned her face away, letting her long dark hair blend into the dog's dark fur.

A hand grasped Harry's shoulder.

"Morning," Hermione said with a smile. She nodded to the dog. "Don't worry, it's Sirius. He must've transformed in his sleep." She gestured to Krysta. "Your sister's still asleep; join her. Dante will be back with breakfast soon."

Harry smiled and nodded and lay down again. He had a vague sensation of doing this before, but he couldn't quite remember. The softness of Sirius's fur and the warmth of his huge animal-form was an old comfort that he couldn't quite remember but knew he had felt before. Drawing the blanket over himself and his godfather, Harry closed his eyes again and blissfully listened to his friends once more arguing in hushed tones in the kitchen.

Only a few minutes later, there was a shuddering bang.

Sharp cries ensued as both Harry and Krysta toppled onto the floor in the wake of the bolting black dog.

Instantly quelling his terrifying growl, the huge dog stood down from his menacing stance and apologetically nuzzled his godchildren as they achingly sat up on the floor.

"Sorry, sorry." Dante announced, closing the front door behind him with a free hand, the other holding a bag of groceries. "Buckbeak skidded on the ice and hit the house again. He's fine though."

Krysta sighed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Every day so far. You'd think he'd learn to take a longer landing path by now."

Transforming back into his human form, Sirius held out a hand to Krysta and Harry and helped them both up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm a bit jumpy these days. I didn't mean to throw you both off the sofa."

Harry laughed and ran hand through his wild locks, trying and failing to tame them. "It wasn't the worse awakening I've had."

"Me neither." Krysta agreed, shaking her long hair back into place. "I've missed sleeping on you in your animagus form."

Sirius blushed, embarrassed. "Yeah, sorry about that too. Sometimes I transform in my sleep. I spend so much time as a dog these days so I can leave the house, I think it's becoming second nature."

"I thought you were very comfy." Harry said.

Sirius laughed.

In the tiny kitchenette, Ron and Hermione grinned.

"We thought you looked adorable." Hermione said.

"Yeah," Dante agreed. He grinned too, his steel blue eyes glistening. "Like two kids and their pet."

Sirius tossed him a mock glare, but couldn't help the smile, and Krysta threw a cushion at him.

Batting it away, Dante laughed. "Anyway, breakfast is up. Everyone go wash up. You're gonna have to fight for the one bathroom."

Chaos ensued.

"Okay, this is ridiculous." Krysta said breathlessly.

She clapped her hands together. Instantly, her magics evoked. Her eyes glistening pure white with golden flecks, her magnificent wings unfurled behind her.

She swept her hands out around her. The fainted tingle of pure white magics filled the entire room, trickling through the air and seeping into the walls.

The onlookers stared in stunned fascination as the wooden walls of the house began to stretch and bow, growing like live wood and expanding. The magics worked – and several new doors formed out of nothing.

It was over in less than a minute.

"Okay," Krysta said dismissing her wings and picking up a teacup. "Six people, six bathrooms. I fully recommend the hot-tub settings. Go."

Excitedly, the teenagers picked a door closest to them and ran through. There were gasps and cries of excitement in every direct along with several slamming closed doors for immediate privacy.

Sirius laughed and shook his head as he took the cup of tea his goddaughter offered. "You make it look so easy."

"I suppose it is." Krysta replied. "We're so used to building houses these days."

Dante frowned as he slid up onto one of the tall stools at the island. "If you can do that in a few seconds, why do we have to share a bathroom that you hog most of the time?"

Krysta cocked her head to one side. "Oh yeah, I could've just made a his and hers bathroom." Then she clocked the second part of what he'd said. "And I don't hog the bathroom - you do."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

Sirius sighed blissfully. "Does this go on for a while?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Krysta replied with a smile.

Dante grinned too and cuddled her from behind. "And I always win, cos she gives up after about a hundred rounds. Lightweight."

Krysta made a face at him, but couldn't quite stop the smile.

"Shall I cook while you shower?" Dante asked picking up his coffee.

"Oooh, that would be lovely."

Kissing her cheek, her husband released her and circled around to the kitchenette. "Fry up all round then. It's the only thing I know how to make."

"Sounds great." Sirius said. He glanced down at himself and realised he was still in his sleeping clothes. "Could I borrow some clothes as well?"

"Oh right," Krysta raised her hand and clicked her fingers. "The kids will need clothes, towels and toiletries as well."

There were another series of delighted gasps and exclamations behind closed doors.

Krysta gestured to the door across the room. "I put your clothes in that one, Uncle Sirius."

The elder man laughed happily. "You really are something else, my girl."

Krysta smiled too; then she too went for a long, revitalising shower.


	19. Chapter 19

"Will it feel sickly like last time?" Hermione asked apprehensively.

Krysta shook her head. "No, I weaved the magics carefully this time and no one can back track it to our house either." She glanced around the group now standing in the middle of the living room, happily fed and dressed. "Is everyone ready?"

The teenagers and Sirius looked at each other, half excited, half anxious and held each other's hands tightly.

"It's a cinch." Dante said, lounging back on the sofa. "Probably a good idea to hold your breath though."

"Can't Sirius just disparate us back home?" Ron asked nervously.

"It will feel a lot worse than sickly if I disparate us that far." Sirius said with a smile. "Don't worry, if Krysta is as good as her father at this, we shouldn't feel anything."

Krysta nodded reassuringly. "Try to relax." She glanced at her husband. "I'll be home in a few minutes, Dante."

The young man ticked off a salute and closed his eyes. "Ill be here."

Once again, Krysta eyes flooded pure, brilliant white.

Then it was over in less than a second.

Harry blinked and found his face cupped in large, gentle hands.

"Harry?" Lupin said worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Harry grinned and hugged the man. "Lupin, it's good to see you."

"Mum!" Ron said, drowning in his mother's embrace, but secretly loving it as well. "I'm alright, calm down would you?"

"Are we glad you're all okay!" Mr Weasley said in pure relief. "That was a close call at the house, but the lockdown occurred just in time."

"Everything's okay at the house then?" Sirius asked.

Mrs Weasley nodded, finally letting go of the teenagers. "All fine. It's still on lock down just in case, but remains undiscovered. It's probably best not to go back until tomorrow."

"Thank heavens for that." Mr Weasley added. "Some of the Order are watching the place in turns to make sure and everyone is welcome to stay here until the coast is clear."

"Thank you so much, Arthur." Sirius said, heartily shaking his hand.

As the travellers regained their bearings, they glanced around and realised the surroundings of Krysta's tiny house in Norway was replaced with the familiar clutter of the Weasley household.

Sirius laughed happily as Lupin and Mr Weasley grasped his shoulders, already talking excitedly about the instantaneous trip well over three thousand miles.

"That was so much better than last night." Ron said, grinning as he dropped into the sofa. "I don't feel sick at all – actually I didn't feel anything."

"Same here." Hermione laughed in relief. "It's like we were standing still and the world moved!"

"Exactly!"

Lupin looked at the teenagers and his old friend curiously. "Really? Is that what it was like?"

Sirius laughed and nodded. "Yes – exactly how it felt when Michael took us all to Paris – do you remember, Remus?"

Lupin nodded blissfully. "God, yes! That was the funniest thing ever."

Harry laughed, remembering the story. "It was like that – as if nothing had changed at all. Just as if she'd just clicked her fingers." He turned to his big sister. "That was brilliant, Krysta - Krysta?"

Everything stopped.

In the now packed living room, there were just the three teenagers, Sirius, Lupin and the Mr and Mrs Weasley.

"Where's Krysta?" Harry asked.


	20. Chapter 20

_"_ _You caught the wrong one, you imbecile! She's not even a witch!"_

 _"_ _There were so many of them, it was an easy mistake!"_

 _"_ _What're we meant to do with some girl? We needed a magical person! You had a whole bunch to choose from too! When we caught that magical signature, I knew we were onto something big and you mucked it up! This girl isn't who we wanted!"_

 _"_ _Shut up! It was an easy mistake! I didn't know they had a muggle with them too!"_

The world swayed sickeningly as Krysta slowly awakened. Her head was pounding like a jack-hammer on overdrive, sending wave after wave of pain flooding through every cell it could find. There was a high-pitched ringing in her ears, drowning out all other sound. Struggling to stay awake, she forced the pain away and tried to focus.

The voices sounded close but far away at the same time, she couldn't pinpoint them. Drawing in a deep breath, she forced herself to focus, keeping her searing body as still as possible.

She remembered being in her house. She remembered weaving the magics to bring everyone back to the Weasley house. She remembered how the power had risen up around them all. Then…

…something had latched around her arm so suddenly, so tightly, she was dragged to the ground with devastating impact.

She had hit the ground with the same force as the night of the attack on the Leaky Cauldron, that's why everything hurt. Her ribs were on fire, several of them must've been broken, her head was pounding too, she must've struck it pretty hard. And her left arm was searing with bolt after bolt of raw pain from where she had been callously grabbed – it must've been broken in several places too.

Desperate to scream in agony, she clamped her mouth shut and played dead for all it was worth. Blinking hard, she pushed away the pain and waited for the world to focus.

The ground was cool and damp beneath her cheek where she lay on her left side. Her arm lay grotesquely bent out of shape beside her, her long hair covering half of her face and adding a darker tinge to the early morning light. High above her, the suddenly trees stripped of their leaves swayed in the cold winds, almost taunting her broken form.

"What the hell do we do now?" said the same voice from before. "Look at her! She's a mess! I doubt we'll get anything for her at all. Did you have to smash her so hard? She's nearly dead!"

Footsteps sounded.

Krysta closed her eyes.

A hand brushed her long hair from her face.

"I say…"

Then lightly touched her cheek. Krysta inwardly recoiled in disgust secretly takin all of her willpower not to break every one of his fingers.

"I haven't seen her on the Dark Lord's wanted list. He ain't got much use for muggles." The man's voice said. The tone changed to something more leering. "But she is real pretty though. Never seen little miss hottie before. Maybe I should keep her for myself. Whose gonna notice?"

"She's got a wedding ring, idiot. And she's a mess after you slammed her into the ground. Look at all that blood - she must've fallen fifty feet through those branches. We are supposed to snatch 'em alive, you know. Even smashed her head's in from the tree trunk. Actually – is she dead?"

Two fingers pressed to her throat.

"She's alive; probably not for long though. Yeah…probably should've waited until they were closer to the ground before snatching her. Could've aimed better too – her arm looks gross."

The man before her stood up again and stepped over her body to the other speaker again.

"So now what? We are the bad guys, aren't we? I think we're entitled to the spoils a little bit. Let's just keep her and pretend this never happened. He's not gonna know."

"We work for a super powerful Lord who doesn't like it when we make our own decisions – trust me, he'll know what we did. So we take her back and shop her in to him. If he doesn't want her, then he can kill her. So keep your filthy thoughts to yourself, got it?"

"Alright fine." The other said grudgingly.

"Besides, you have a wife. If you're so hard up for it, buy her some flowers and she'll happily give it up."

"You think so?"

"It worked for me."

"You're such an asshole."

As the men had been talking, Krysta had only been half listening. The immediate shock of her injuries had rendered her helpless, but the spate lying still and gathering her strength was enough to formulate a plan.

She still had no idea where she was or what had happened, but now she had a tiny flame of power deep inside her growing and was slowly nursing it from a tiny flame to an all-out fire. She was too injured to summon her wings and fly away, and her power reserves were all being redirected to healing the immediate wounds.

All she needed to escape, was a distraction.

Amber eyes opened and flooded pure white. Her palm, currently pressed flat to the ground shimmered with the tiniest amount of magic.

A deep, terrifying growl sounded deep in the woods. A huge gust of wind circled, blowing up the detritus into a dark mass just behind the forest line. Instantly, the two men whirled around, their wands raised.

"What the hell was that?" One of them asked, automatically backing towards his friend and scanning the desolate trees.

The other shook his head, grasping his friend's arm. "I-I dunno."

Together, they stared in rising horror. The great mass of supposedly detritus rose up again as the trees swayed, becoming somehow darker despite the bright sunlight.

Something deep, dark and huge flitted between the trees, issuing a deep, reverberating growl that seemed to bore straight through their chests to the core of their very soul.

"Did you just bring down besides the girl?" One man hissed urgently. "Or did you bring something else too?"

"I-I don't know. I-I saw the power stream and just threw the whip -,"

An almighty roar shuddered through the air.

Screaming, the men raced into the forest in the opposite direction.

They never realised the girl behind them was long gone.

Unable to keep up the magical stream any longer, Krysta stumbled on through the trees. Her vision blurred and her body screamed, but she kept on going. Her breath coming in quick bursts, she bolted through the densing trunks. Trying to be quiet, but desperate to get as far as possible before she was caught, she ran on, clutching her broken arm with the other and heading in the opposite direction to the Snatchers.

Then she heard the shouts behind her.

Her long hair whipping around her face as she ran, she risked a glance over her shoulder. Two figures were dashing through the forest, but she couldn't make them out.

Her head was pounding, she could hear her blood pumping through like torrents as her vision tilting grotesquely, but she pushed on. Staggering from tree to tree, she leaned heavily on each one, her steps becoming slower and slower as the milky darkness crept in on her on all sides.

The injuries were too great, the blood loss too fast; she couldn't go on for long.

Something thick and grotesque rose up in her throat and spilled out of her lips, but she didn't stop. She had to find out where she was. She had to know if the Snatchers had dragged anyone else who was also injured in the forest – they didn't seem to know, but god knows why they may have done. She needed to know if Harry and the others had made it to the safety of the Weasleys at all. The thought of anything happening to her family made her already struggling heart beat out of control.

"There she is!"

She looked over her shoulder sharply.

It was a mistake.

Krysta cried out as the ground vanished beneath her. Stumbling down the sharp incline, she toppled over and over, her whole body jarring excruciatingly. It must've been only a twenty metre drop into the ravine, but it felt like a whole lot more. Finally, she slammed to a halt, straight into the truck of a tree.

Her whole body froze, so stunned by the impact, her heart and lungs struggled to start again too. Blood pouring out of her lips, she lay there for a long moment, the achingly bright blue sky fazing in and out of vision.

She blinked struggling to stay awake, but it was a losing battle. The adrenaline had worn off and her body had had enough. Immensely powerful or not, she was still human, and there was only so much a human body could take.

Confused shouts floated to her. They sounded quite near. Finally, her mind registered that that was a bad thing.

Using her last reserves of strength, she dragged herself into sitting position and clutched her broken arm to her chest. Ignoring the pain that engulfed her, she dragged herself forward, forcing her slender form between the roots of the tree she'd slammed into. It was an old oak tree, strong, wide and with thick roots concealing surprisingly large hollows.

Crushing herself in, cringing in agony, she pulled the branches over to seal the entrance and finally collapsed back.

Unable to fight it any longer, the darkness took over.

She didn't hear the numerous shouts now filling the air.


	21. Chapter 21

The Weasley living room was as silent as a grave.

"Where is she?" Harry asked again in sudden, overpowering dread.

Everyone looked at each other and then around the room again.

"Krysta!"

There was no answer.

"What the hell happened?" Sirius demanded whirling around to the teenagers. "She was with us, wasn't she?"

Hermione nodded. "She was! She bright us! Where could she have gone? It was barely five seconds!"

"She was right here!" Harry exclaimed. "She was holding my hand!"

"Is there any chance she had returned home already?" Mr Weasley said urgently. "Did she say she was going to just drop you off?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, she told Dante she'll be back in a few minutes."

"She was gonna say goodbye to Harry." Ron added. "Of course she was."

Lupin whirled around to Mrs Weasley. "Molly – the rembrall! We need to call Dante!"

The elder woman nodded and dashed to the sideboard to grab the glass orb still swirling with black smoke.

She didn't need to.

Dante picked up the rembrall.

Slowly, he turned around.

The entire room stepped backward in sudden terror.

Dressed in his monster-killing gear, Rebellion clutched in one hand, raised and ready to carve up an entire army, and usually serene steel blue eyes blazing deep blood-red, Dante looked like he was about to commit mass murder.

"Where is she?" he demanded, soft and deadly. "She said she'd be back in a few miniates – _where is she_?"

Inexplicably terrified, the entire household held onto each other. Even those who had known him for years and those who had just met him had never seen the young man like this before.

Finally, Harry found his voice and darted forward. "Dante, she just disappeared in the middle of the journey – nobody saw anything. We just realised she was gone a few minutes ago."

Shaking off the paralysis, Sirius stepped forward too. "No one saw anything – she definitely didn't come home?"

"No."

Dante's knuckles turned white he gripped Rebellion so hard and forced himself to get a grip. Closing his eyes briefly, he caged the beast that spilled out so uncontrollably.

Steel blue eyes opened again and focused on Harry. "You were next to her, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Were your eyes open?"

"What?"

"Yes," Lupin jumped in. "His eyes were open when they appeared. Harry was watching – can you use him?"

Dante nodded. Hooking Rebellion on his back, he held out a hand to the teenager. "The trip takes less than a second. You were watching, but your mind can't register something so fast. I need to see your memory."

"Use me," Sirius said instantly. "I was watching too."

"I can't. It has to be Harry, he is the only one who won't be damaged. I'll hurt you Sirius."

Harry stared at him, stunned. "What does that mean?"

"Your scar." Dante said. "My magics work on you without damaging you because of that scar. I can't do that for anyone else. I am a Dark Source. I can only hurt and kill others with my magics – but not you, Harry."

Hermione gasped sharply, her hand flying to her lips. "That's why you thought it was weird both yours and Krysta's magics work on Harry. Dark arts only cause damage; it's not supposed to be able to heal, yet you could fix his broken ribs."

Dante nodded and looked deep into the teenager's apprehensive eyes. "My power can't hurt you, Harry, because of that bastard that gave you that scar." He held out his hand again. "I need to see what happened to my wife."

The teenager held out his hand too.

Harry gasped as Dante grabbed his wrist and instantly swept his free hand through the air. Blood-red magics sparked, collecting together in a pool before bursting out to create what looked like a giant mirror.

The magics banded together and formed into an image. The memory showed Harry and everyone else standing in a circle as the pure white magics rose up around them, shimmering and swirling in spectacular fashion. And there was Krysta standing between Harry and Sirius.

Then something black, like a tendril or an arm, sliced through the magics, wrapped around Krysta's left arm and tore her away in a split second before the Weasley living room appeared.

Dante's eyes were blazing red so hotly when the power dissipated, everyone felt the very same primal fear course straight through them.

"Snatchers." He seethed, the image of his wife's shocked expression etched into his mind. He pulled Rebellion from his back and whirled around, his trench coat tails flaring like a man on the warpath. "Sorry, Mrs Weasley, there will be a lot of corpses on your property today."

Finally finding their voices, everyone piled after Dante as he stormed out of the front door and into the yard.

"Dante!" Harry called desperately running after him. "What happened to her?!"

Struggling to keep the beast in check, Dante turned to his young brother-in-law and forced himself to calm down for the boy's sake. "Stay here, Harry, all of you kids stay here. Snatchers grabbed Krysta just before the magics finished, she'll be nearby with them, probably within a few miles." He looked into terrified blue eyes. "I'm going to get her back. I don't want you to see this, kid. Stay here."

Inexplicably scared, Harry felt Ron and Hermione gripping his arms either side, just as terrified of the man they had already come to adore.

Mr Weasley gripped the kids' shoulders too and nodded to Dante. "Go. We'll look after them."

Dante turned away and faced the dense forest outside the Weasley house, his eyes flaring red again. "Remus, Sirius, I need your noses. If she hasn't called me by now, she's hurt."

Instantly, Sirius transformed into his black dog form and bolted into the forest alongside Remus who was suddenly faster, primal and already losing to his beast too.

"Be careful." Mrs Weasley called as Dante raced in after them too, Rebellion raised to kill.

Left in nothing but their dust, the teenagers clutched the elders, breathing hard and heavy and still scared out of their minds.

"It's okay, kids." Mr Weasley said, his heart tearing as he felt all three of them trembling. "Dante's very protective. He loves Krysta more than the world. He didn't mean to frighten us."

"Dante," Hermione stammered. "He-he was…"

"He was bloody scary." Ron finished, his voice much higher than usual.

"Terrifying." Hermione murmured, her voice breaking.

The parents held the teenagers close.

"Yes." Mr Weasley said gravely. "Without her, he gets like that. But remember, it's not aimed at you. Dante's fury is rare, but it's never aimed at us. He only gets like that when anyone threatens Krysta."

"Like what?" Harry whispered, despite really not wanting to know.

Above them, the couple exchanged scared looks.

"Like the devil." Mrs Weasley whispered.

"Krysta is the only one who can quell the beast inside." Mr Weasley said. "Without her, he's a full-blood demon on the war path. A Dark Source with no other will than to kill until he's sated. Those Snatchers must be mad to take Krysta. Dante will show no mercy."

Stunned silence descended.

Harry didn't remember how he got back inside the house, but suddenly he was standing by the winding staircase. There were so many thoughts in his head, he couldn't comprehend them all and was drowning in the din.

"What happened, Harry?"

Slowly, the teenager came back to reality and looked up. He almost didn't recognise the faces that looked down at him from the floor above. Fred and George actually looked scared and were holding Ginny protectively between them.

"Harry?" George said fearfully. "What made Dante go demonic?"

"He never gets that scary." Fred said, his voice oddly smaller than ever before.

Between them, Ginny just bit her lower lip, too scared to say anything at all.

Finally, Harry made a decision.

Shoving his fear away, determined blue eyes fell onto the Weasley twins. "Fred, I need your broomstick."

"I need yours too, George." Ron said suddenly appearing behind him. He looked at his best friend. "If you're gonna do something stupid, you'll need back up."

"I'll distract your parents." Hermione added. "Stay high in the sunlight so no one can see you and hide in the tree tops; Snatchers usually are on the ground. Remember, Dante's power is dangerous and he's furious they've dared to hurt his wife; stay out of his way, just help search for Krysta. Dante didn't want us to see him in action – make sure you look away. I'm not kidding. We know what the forbidden curses can do; Dante's a Dark Source, he is millions of times worse than the killing curse. Don't look."

A ghost of a smile touched Harry's lips and he nodded. He looked up at the twins. "We need your broomsticks."

They nodded. "You got it."

Together they all raced upstairs and silently flew away from the very top tower of the house.


	22. Chapter 22

Dante skidded to a halt hearing the deep barks.

"This way!" Lupin shouted somewhere far to his right. His voice was oddly deeper and gravellier than before. "Sirius has something!"

Dodging through the tree trunks, Dante bolted faster and faster, inhumanly covering more and more ground with each vault over rippling roots and cratered graves of the primary forest land.

More ferocious barking sounded much closer this time.

"Blood trail!" Lupin called, suddenly appearing racing at Dante's side. "She's hurt, Dante!"

"How hurt?!"

They both skidded to a dead halt.

They were in the middle of the woods. High above them, several branches were broken and severed, handing like broken limbs as if something had crashed straight down through from fifty feet in the air.

It had been so brutal, blood was still dripping from the trees…and added to the pool of congealing blood on the cold ground floor.

"Badly hurt." Lupin whispered, kneeling down. He shook his head, scared out of his mind. "She can't survive long with blood loss like this."

"Krysta's got a human body." Dante murmured, fear inundating him. "We have to find her fast."

Shouts and screams sounded as Sirius's furious barking turned into terrifying snarling.

Instantly, the men bolted through the trees to the source.

"Easy, dog." Said one of the Snatchers, waving his hat at Sirius as the huge black dog growled low and ferocious. "There's a good dog. If you calm yourself down, there's a treat in it for you."

Sirius bared his gleaming mouthful of dangerous fangs and snapped at the outstretched hat.

Screaming, the man smacked back into his friend and stumbled into the gnarled truck of an old oak tree, trapping themselves.

"Use a spell!" the other man cried. "I dropped my wand!"

"Oh yeah!"

Furious, Sirius clamped his powerful jaws around the wand and wrenched it out of the man's hand, making sure to crush it to splinters.

"You goddamn mutt-!"

With a terrifying snarl, Sirius launched at him.

"Enough!" Dante called sharply. "Stand down!"

Instantly, the dog backed off, now trailing a wide circle around the petrified men.

"Freaking hell!" One of the Snatchers said angrily glaring at Dante. "What the bloody hell is wrong with your dog? You need to get a muzzle for that…thing…"

Sometimes when death was staring you in the face, it took a moment for the brain to catch up.

As Sirius and Lupin took flank, making sure the Snatchers didn't escape, Dante strode right up to them.

Finally, the correct amount of terror flooded the Snatchers.

Rebellion shone darkly in the sunlight as she was brandished, already thirsty of blood as her master's usually steel blue eyes hardened and focused entirely on them. His trench coat tails flaring in the cold winds, blood red magics sparked around Dante as he strode towards the trapped men, letting his fury fuel the power until it turned into black smoke surrounding his in-laws and his prisoners.

Scared out of their minds, the Snatchers clutched each other as the terrifying man headed straight for them.

"Tell me." Dante said, his voice deep and dark and deadly. "Which one of you took her."

The men screamed as the devil's eyes blazed deep red.

" _Tell me_!"

"He told me to!" The younger man screeched as he pointed wildly at the other. "We had orders! He saw the power surge – he told me to snatch her!"

Dante's anger spilled out on all sides.

All around them, the pitch black smoke of pure dark magic surged and densed, then shot out a tendril of dark power glistening with green sparks and wrapped it around the older man.

Even Sirius and Lupin recoiled at what Dante did next.

The fleshy cracks of several bones pulverising chilled the onlookers to the core, but no more than the image of the older man smashed so hard against the oak tree, he stuck there fast with all his blood flooding down over the bark.

The younger man's froze, too petrified to do anything other than instantly panic as the black tendril released his friend – and wrapped around him next.

"No! NO!" he screamed as the power dragged him towards the terrifying vision of Dante.

Dante's hand shot out and wrapped around the Snatcher's throat, easily holding him high above his head. For a long moment, he watched, the beast within him roaring with pleasure as the man choked to death under his superhuman strength.

"You grabbed my girl."

It was a statement.

The younger man's eyes bulged out of his head. "Oh god – you're – you're her husband!"

Dante's eyes burned into the man's.

"Oh god!" the other screamed as his very brain melted.

Dante smiled. "No…not god." The smoke surrounded them burst in deep red flames rasing like hellfire itself. "Not even close."

The man's screams cut off as Dante crushed his throat in his fingers. He raised Rebellion's atomic sharp blade and held the very tip one millimetre from his prey's terrified pupil.

"Where is my girl?" The tip of the blade quivered ever so slightly as the raging fury spilled trhogh. "If you dare lie to me, I will fillet you very slowly, starting with this eyeball."

"P-Please." The man begged. "Please! I just work for him -,"

The one millimetre turned into half a millimetre.

"She's gone!" the man cried. "I pulled her down and she was smashed up real bad – I thought she was done for! She's just a muggle! Why do you care?!"

Rage.

Again, both Sirius and Lupin looked away as the screams filled the forest. There was no way they could have stopped him, nor did they want to either. They just couldn't watch it.

Dante held the now bloody blade of Rebellion over the man's last eye and ignored his screeching. "Where is my girl?"

The man gurgled something as his blood poured out of the empty eye socket.

"Last chance or this eye is mine too." Dante said soft and deadly. "I will make sure I take my time with you if you don't answer. After all, you only need your tongue to talk."

The man pressed his hands to his bleeding eye socket and forced his trembling lips to move. "We - we got distracted. A noise – a shape – in the woods. We turned away and- and she was gone. She-she ran away! I didn't see where she went. Then that dog -,"

He didn't need to hear any more. Dante closed his eyes and turned away as the screams finally stopped. Behind him, the flames died down. There was nothing left but ashes of the old oak tree, not even the bones of the Snatchers unlucky enough to cross the path of the devil himself.

"I can still smell her." Lupin said glancing around the very samey-looking forest. "Krysta must be nearby. She must be so wounded, she can't call us."

"She can't have gone far." Dante said scanning the forest. "She must've fallen at least fifty feet. She's bleeding out too fast for a human body to handle. She'll die out here."

The winds died down.

Beside him, Sirius's powerful canine head swung around to the left, finally pinpointing the scent. So did Lupin.

But, before anyone could move, a slow clapping sounded through the air along with a darkly familiar chuckle.


	23. Chapter 23

"What is that?" Ron asked, frowning.

The dark mass of cloud sparked with something even blacker as it rose around Dante, Sirius and Lupin.

"Don't look." Harry said, forcing his gaze away. "Dante told us not to see him do this. He can't control his nature when it comes to my sister in danger."

Ron whirled away on his broomstick and cast his gaze down over the ground again.

"There was blood everywhere about a hundred metres back." He said pointed back from where they were. "We followed the guys to where Krysta must've been snatched during the journey. She's badly injured so she can't have gone too far."

Harry nodded, rising up higher on his broomstick, he surveyed the ground from above, his resolve faltering as the forest looked exactly the the same in every direction.

"She's not with the Snatchers anymore, so she must be in the run – can you see anymore blood trails, Ron?"

Ron shielded his eyes from the sun and shook his head. "No, there's-,"

Harry glance at him as his friend cut himself off. "What is it?"

Ron pointed down through the trees about thirty metres away. "Look! See that little ravine down there? Looks like something's fallen down recently, there's a skid trail carving up the ground to reveal the mud underneath."

Without any other options, the boys flew around the trees, giving Dante and the others a wide berth and circled to the ravine from the other side.

Ignoring the endless screaming that seemed to be going on thirty metres away, the boys jumped off the broomsticks and propped them against the nearest tree.

Ron grasped Harry's arm as he leaned over the ravine.

"It's definably a skid," Harry said, craning to see over the edge. "It's got about a twenty foot drop, but too steep to get down safely." He gratefully stumbled back as Ron pulled him back onto solid ground. "If Krysta fell down there, it would've hurt like hell."

"Did you see her?"

"No, but let's look anyway. Grab the broomsticks."

Mounting their broomsticks again, the teenagers glided down to the ravine and jumped off again.

Ron turned around ,scanning the ground. The ravine into seemed to be a dried out stream that had probably been dry for years. The old riverbed and infiltrated by random tufts of grass and bits of scree that had slipped down from the steep banks and now overgrowing with a soft bed of clumped dogwood, elder and lots and lots of spongy moss.

Harry grasped Ron's arm. The instant panic jolted straight through him so fast he couldn't speak for a moment.

There was another spot of crushed vegetation beside an old oak's rippling roots along with a pool of blood.

"Krysta!" Harry exclaimed.

Stumbling over the roots, the teenagers climbed around the stump and almost cried seeing no one on the other side.

"What? Where did she go?" Ron asked, running a hnd through his hair and grasping the flame red locks. "Did she climb out again?"

Harry shook his head. "No, it's too steep and there's so much blood – the only other place is -,"

His eyes wide, he whirled around. Sure enough, the back side of the old tree was hollowed out. Dropping to his knees, he tore away the woven roots and ripped out the detritus – and almost cried seeing a lock of very familiar dark hair.

"Krysta!" Harry breathed, the relief bursting uncontrollably out of him as he pulled away more and more the tree to get to his sister.

"Oh, thank god." Ron said, his voice cracking in relief too. He braced himself against the ground and pulled back on one of the larger roots. "I'll hold it back, pull her out, would you?"

As gently as he could, Harry eased his sister out of the hollow she had hidden herself in. Cradling her upper body in his arms, he carefully lay her down on the spongy moss and dogwood.

"How is she?" Ron asked anxiously kneeling beside his friend. "Is she alive?"

Harry's heart thudded. Krysta's eyes were closed, her skin ashen and dirty from the fifty-foot fall, the attempted escape and the brutal fall into the ravine. Her jeans and white sweater were torn and bloody too. but the most frightening thing was the endless trickle of blood that issued from her lips.

His hand shaking, Harry reached out and pressed two fingers to her neck – then almost collapsed.

"There's a pulse. It's slow, but there." Harry said.

Ron leaned down and placed his ear close to her lips. "She's breathing too. I think she's been properly battered; we need to get her home. Mum can work her healing spells on her."

Harry nodded. Very carefully, he pulled off his sweater and tore off one of his long shirt sleeves and fashioned a very quick sling to secure Krysta's' very obviously broken arm to her chest, before very gently wiping away the blood from her lips and head.

Ron glanced up above them. "All that screaming's stopped." He said. "I'll call the others – they'll be mad, but she needs help."

Harry nodded.

As Ron stood up, Harry heard it.

Ron froze as Harry clamped a hand over his mouth before he could call out.

They both stood stock still. Despite everything they had been though, nothing brought the fear out of them running like that sound.

The low, menacing chuckle and the slow clapping.

Silently, Ron and Harry kneeled back down on the ground, hiding deep in the ravine.

Harry looked into his friend's wide green eyes and silently gestured for him to stay here. He took Ron's hand from his wrist as the other vehemently shook his head. Harry held a finger to his lips and then pointed to his unconscious sister.

Finally, Ron nodded. Harry stole back around the tree trunk as quietly as he could as Ron shrugged off his coat and draped it over Krysta's still form.

Picking up his broomstick, Harry mounted it and silently glided the twenty feet back up to the forest floor.

Just peeking over the top of the ravine, his eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

Voldemort smiled winningly at Dante as his in-laws flanked him on both sides and clustered closer, well aware of the twenty robed Death Eaters encircling them all.

"I must say, my dear boy," Voldemort said blissfully. "That was most entertaining. Did you enjoy letting the beast out on those useless half-bloods?"

Dante's eyes flashed deep, smouldering red.

The Dark Lord's smile just widened. "Don't be shy, dear Dante. By all means, let out all of your darkness."

Lupin raised his wand, warning two Death Eaters away from them. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh I was just idly watching my Snatchers." Voldemort said. "It's quite a coincidence really. I tend to watch a little more especially around the safe houses, such as the Weasley house over yonder – as irritatingly difficult as it is to actually penetrate, there's no law against loitering just outside the field." He chuckled. "In all honestly, this was just a very happy coincidence."

He stepped closer to Dante and looked over Lupin and the huge black dog at either side of him.

"Twenty years of hiding from me, my dear boy, and you show up here of all places." Voldemort cocked his head to one side. "The last time I saw you, you were just a slip of a boy hiding behind Mummy and Daddy. When you wriggled away, I didn't think I would ever see you again, yet here you are – with the Order of the Phoenix's very own werewolf, and – a pet?"

Sirius snarled, low and menacing. Several of the Death Eaters stepped back from him.

The dark wizard watched the dog for a moment, then let his eyes bore into Lupin then back to Dante.

"Tell me, dear Dante, what are you doing here?"

Dante hooked Rebellion onto his back and shrugged. "Just taking a stroll with my mate and my dog – what're you doing here? Taking your pets for a walk too?"

Several of the Death Easters surged forwards, wands raised and already forging curses.

Dante grinned. "You're kidding, right?" he said, amused. "You think your little toy curses scare me?"

His steel blue eyes flared the deep, dark, terrifying red.

With sharp cries, each and every one of the Death Eaters stumbled backwards, inexplicably scared to the core.

Dante laughed. "Whose power do you think you pray to when you call a curse? You're nothing but children playing with power you don't understand."

Once again, blood red magics sparked through the air, surrounding the three of them, Voldemort and the Death Eaters and turned into thick, glistening black smoke of raw dark magics.

Even Lupin smiled seeing the Death Eaters panicking.

Dante grinned as the demon within him roared. "You're so desperate to know real power, right? Then let me show you."

Rebellion sung.


End file.
